By Mikayla van Loon
Kimberley Reserve is one step closer to a new pavilion and recreation centre after Yarra Ranges Councillors unanimously passed the appointment of a builder on Tuesday 29 June.
The council received five tender applications from builders listed on the approved Department of Treasury and Finance Construction Supplier Register.
From those five tenders, the evaluation panel recommended the tender from Melbcon be accepted for a total of $3.6 million.
The original estimated cost of the project was valued at $4.6 million, meaning the project will come in well under budget.
Chirnside Ward councillor Richard Higgins thanked the council’s Director of Environment and Infrastructure Mark Varmalis and his team for their work to get this project across the line.
“It’s great to see that the actual cost is under budget, which to Mr Varmalis’s team thank you very much for the efforts there, they’ve done great in doing that,” Cr Higgins said.
Cr Higgins joked that his fellow councillors were under pressure to approve the recommendation since the old pavilion had already been demolished.
“It’s a really exciting time for Kimberley Reserve, this is the final thing needed to sign off and get our pavilion underway,” he said.
“It’s a good result for Kimberley Reserve and Chirnside people and I look forward to it starting very soon.”
Walling Ward councillor Len Cox also spoke to the motion and agreed with Cr Higgins that it was a great result for Chirnside Park.
“It is a good result for the locals there, it is something that has been needed for a long while. The old one was in poor condition,” Cr Cox said.
“And I’m sure this is something, when it is built, will be of great use to the locals for many, many years to come.”
The new pavilion is expected to support football, netball and cricket for at least the next 50 years, as well as encourage participation in recreational activities.
Features of the new pavilion include an all-inclusive accessible facility with change rooms, a gym, canteen, kitchen, meeting rooms and function space for social gatherings and community events.
It will be open to other recreation, educational and community groups for meetings, social events, public toilet usage and amenities throughout.
Upgrades to the facility will complement the work being done to improve lighting throughout Kimberley Reserve’s training space and pathways.
Works are expected to begin in mid 2021 with a practical completion date of mid 2022.
