The Station Street Project is set to blow out by $32 million according to two councillors.
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The figure was made public after a Question of Notice was put forward by Councillor Garry Turland at the Ordinary Meeting of Council on February 10. Cr Turland asked when would council provide an update to the community of the cost-benefit analysis on Station Street project.
Cr Turland then took the opportunity to recommend a motion that council provides a cost-benefit analysis and that council provides an updated budget on changes to the Station Street project to advertise to the public under the community engagement policy.
Councillor Ian Scandrett announced the cost of the Station Street project in public.
"It was was said in December that Station Street would cost $32m," he said.
"We all received a response from the staff just before the meeting today on the cost-benefit analysis question. It hasn't answered my questions which were in there. It was said last December that the project is $32m and rising.
"We need to have a look at this cost-benefit analysis and bring it back."
Cr Scandrett said the project was important and topical.
"It's now so much out of control financially, having gone from $9.5m to more than $32m, plus all the bits we've taken out," he said.
"We need to take it to the people."
Councillor Turland listed the cost of the Station Street project.
"In 2017 the budget was $9.5m for Station Street," he said.
"In 2019 it was $16.33m at the finance meeting on October 1, 2019. In 2020 it was still $16.33m in the finance meeting on June 30. On July 1, 2020 it jumped up to $18.26m, $2m more.
"Go to the mathematics which I will read now: Wattle Street car park which is in all Station Street documents is around $3m, Kirkham Road which is also under Station Street was around $5m and that adds up to two spots, the northern part of Kirkham Road which was $3.21m and in 2020 it was $1.8m in the southern end with the extras being the kerb and gutter and water main rectification."
Cr Turland also said the purchase of land from State Rail was approximate "half a million dollars" and the Mittagong car park was $1m.
He pointed out that the costings of $32m as mentioned in a briefing in December 2020, plus additional costings (as above) took the total to $43m.
"We had the unfunded works which are in our unfunded financial documents. The second bridge over Wingecarribee Street which is $12m and the second stage of Station Street which is from Links Road to Bowral Street which is $15m. Both of those with underrated budgets.
"This is extraordinary. Some common sense needs to come in to play here. If you're prepared to spend $43m from Bowral Street to Bundaroo Street and add all those things up in which it has been part of our documents to date, then this council needs to be removed.
"This is unacceptable spending."
Cr Scandrett also echoed Cr Turland's views.
"I said [this project] would be $42m some years ago, and it's now apparently quite correct because we now have the whole picture," he said.
"We've got $423m in unfunded projects out there and this is going to soak up all of those small projects and some of those big ones.
"The Moss Vale bypass, the Bowral bypass, the Lackey stadium. We could get cracking on all of these. In fact, the additional money would almost finish the Bowral bypass on its own. That is from Bowral Street to Links Road."
Cr Scandrett said public sentiment was against the Station Street Project.
"The public is clearly against it. I've never heard one loud voice saying this is a fabulous project about Station Street. I've heard a lot of voices say they want the bypass stage and we want to get a resolution on the issues," he said.
"We now have the numbers in front of us. We know the revised costings are $32m and we have taken out some $20 - $30m from the original scope of the Station Street project.
"It's just extraordinary that it's gone that far."
Mayor Duncan Gair said it would take up to 18 months to get any sort of cost for the Moss Vale by-pass.
"You are right and I will concede that it was poor form that when this grant was given, so many years ago, from the state government, that there wasn't an absolute true costing done at the time.
"I will concede that."
Acting general manager Barry Paull had previously told Southern Highland News that the actual cost of the Station Street Project would not be known "until the projects design and scope are finalised and the project is put to the competitive market via a tender process."
Wingecarribee Shire Council was contacted for comment.
This story was updated on February 11, 2021.
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Vera Demertzis
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
