5 million dollar dust-up

December 2017 | Sharon Webb

A ROW is brewing over Meander Valley Council proposals for a $5m function centre at the Westbury Recreation Ground.

Nearly 500 people want a public meeting on the issue, according to a petition presented to council at its 16th November meeting.

And council itself is divided into factions for and against the proposal, which got up in the October meeting with a five to three vote.

The project has grown from a $12,000 change room upgrade in 2012 to a $5m fully-fledged function centre in 2017, with projected operating costs of $145,000 a year.

Councillors Deb White, Tanya King and Mayor Craig Perkins are against it, citing cost as the major factor. But Councillors Rodney Synfield, Ian Mackenzie, Bob Richardson, John Temple and Andrew Connor support the major building project – even though a $15,000 business plan requested by council says it is not feasible.

The five councillors want the facility to cater for all of Westbury’s sports teams and groups rather than simply upgrading football and cricket change rooms.

In addition, a newspaper report in The Examiner has quoted Meander Valley Suns Football Club president, Leigh Watts, denouncing the project.

“If the centre has a function room and somebody wanted to book it, we’d be kicked out for the night. It’s important we have a club room leased to the football club to run functions for us to be financially viable,” Mr Watts told The Examiner.

Westbury’s recreation ground building development has been an ongoing saga since 2013 when council approved a $12,000 clubroom upgrade design.

In 2014 the project expanded when council allocated $300,000, incorporating a $150,000 State grant. Then, in 2015, a review of concept designs and cost estimates saw council increase the budget to $500,000 then approve an additional $636,781.

In 2016, council added funding for a building extension and in September this year when faced with a motion approving funds of $50,000 or $100,000 on the project, a majority of councillors supported spending $5m.

In May 2017 Council commissioned a business case according to a design brief prepared by Cllr Richardson, well-known for strong support of his home-town Westbury.

The building was to service a population within 20km of Westbury, provide dinner seating for 200+ people, areas for performance, a kitchen/ kiosk to cater for 600-800 people, office space, meeting/ board room and design to allow for future extensions

MG Engineers and Planners looked at population projections and spoke to 20 community groups, finding that:

• A new function centre is likely to be cost prohibitive for local community and sporting clubs most likely to use the facility;

• Existing (large) venues in the area readily meet the apparent demand for larger scale venues with better on-site facilities such as accommodation;

• There is a high demand for a function space from local community and sporting groups who are likely to use such a space on a regular basis for both small and large events but potential users expect that the cost of hire is minimal if not zero.

The business case report says demand could be met by investing in the refurbishment of existing facilities such as Westbury Community Hall and Supper Room rather than constructing a new function centre.

The report was accepted by council but not endorsed.

Cllr Synfield said workers attracted to live in the area by the council-approved industrial zone would want such a facility. “This would be a game-changer for Westbury,” he argued.

“The town’s just lost its last bank. Are we just going to sit back and watch its decline or get on the front foot and make it an attractive place for people to live?”

Cllr White said she has serious misgivings about the proposal, including paying for the ongoing costs of $5 million facility and its projected rate of usage.

And Mayor Craig Perkins admitted that as a group, councillors had never considered what they wanted for the recreation ground site.