WATTLE Range Council will spend $165,000 on plans to upgrade its Millicent office if the draft 2020/21 business plan and budget is adopted.
The proposed allocation for design and development for the construction of a new council office building is one of 21 capital projects under the engineering services department’s budget for 2020/21.
Council previously allocated $50,000 towards the development of concept plans for a new facility at the Millicent and District Community Club, but was forced to abandon them after the building was sold.
The new budget allocation will provide plans for building on one of three sites – Apex Park, Jubilee Park or the North Terrace netball courts.
Council chief executive Ben Gower said the upgrade was essential due to the ageing facility, adding diligent planning was crucial in safeguarding against cost blowouts in the construction stage.
“Project management 101 will plan, plan, plan, because that is where projects can go off the rail very quickly,” he said.
“To be able to put this to tender and let its run its course with the right outcome and the right costing, it is important to get the design elements right.”
However, Mr Gower would not comment on whether the new council offices would be constructed at a higher or lower cost than the previous budgeted $3.5m figure, which was agreed on by elected members at the March monthly meeting.
He said the budgeted figure was based on rough square meterage and would need to be refined once cost estimates had been received.
“It is a large sum of money, but the building we are in is knackered,” Mr Gower said.
“We looked at extending the current facility and that was a couple of million just for renovations.
“Council staff are spread across four sites and I have had to remove people from the building to ensure we adhere to the one person per four square metre rule.
“The new office will consolidate everyone under one roof, it will be able to last the next 75 to 100 years and we will design it with an ability to extend it later on if need be.”
Mr Gower said the construction would form part of a council-led infrastructure stimulus package aimed at jumpstarting the local economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All the advice we are getting at the moment from the State and Federal Government is if you have cash reserves and the ability to borrow, now is they time to be investing back into the local economy,” he said.
“Infrastrcutre such as this one, along with playgrounds and roads, will generate work for our local tradies, which provides benefits for the community as they eat at our pubs, get coffees from our cafes and reinvest in the community.
“If they are from out of town, they will be staying at nearby accommodation and spending in the main street.
“This is a project which will generate jobs.”
Public consultation on the draft budget will close at 5pm on June 5.
