Clarence Valley Council awarded the final contract to complete upgrade works at Wherrett Park at Last week’s February 9 extraordinary meeting of council. Ledonne Constructions, a Sydney-based company, which has its north east NSW regional depot at South Grafton, beat Lower Clarence contractor Corbett Earthmoving to win the tender. Ledonne tendered a price of $242,925.80; Corbett’s was $332,372.70. Corbett Earthmoving is currently completing the car parking and related drainage at the site. The project was funded by a $950,000 federal grant, which was announced by Cowper MP Luke Hartsuyker during the last federal election campaign in August 2013. At that time, Mr Hartsuyker said the grant would “be used to upgrade the drainage on Barry Watts Oval, Wherrett Park 1, the car park around the indoor sports complex (including the netball courts) and the reconstruction of the netball courts”. However, the council’s works and civil director, Troy Anderson, said in an emailed response to the Independent’s enquiry that “reconstruction of the netball courts are not part of Council’s funding agreement” with the federal government. Lighting at Wherrett Park has also been upgraded, as part of the sports fields’ improvements. When asked what would happen to the unspent funding of $220, 134, Mr Anderson said “the funds are to be spent in accordance with the funding agreement between the federal government and Council’. Mr Anderson did not respond to a further enquiry before the paper’s print deadline, when asked what the agreement entailed: “Does CVC use the balance elsewhere; bill the government for the amounts spent or refund the $220, 134 balance to the government?”