The upgrade of Rocky Hill’s carpark is expected to be completed in time for this year’s milestone Remembrance Day service.
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Councillors at their recent meeting chose local firm Denrith Pty Ltd from a field of two tenderers to complete the work. The company’s $450,604 bid beat off Greenacre firm, Starcon, on value for money.
Council general manager Warwick Bennett said the contract would be issued in coming weeks. Construction must be completed by Remembrance Day, November 11, marking 100 years since the end of World War One.
The work includes reconstructing the main carpark to provide turning space for larger buses, pedestrian access improvements to the museum and improved signage.
The existing tight space had been a “significant impediment” to increasing bus and tour group visitation to the museum, staff reported
“Advice from the Visitor Information Centre is that bus tours involving larger vehicles are currently reluctant to include a visit to Rocky Hill on their itineraries, as they cannot easily turn around and may have to reverse down the narrow and winding access road,” their report stated.
Denrith’s price is significantly less than the council’s original $800,000 estimate. But projects business manager Paul Jones said there were some unknowns. Contractors could encounter varying rock and conditions during excavation, potentially adding costs. As such, councillors endorsed a 20 per cent variation on the price.
Denrith also completed the forecourt upgrade in recent years.
Cr Peter Walker asked that residents in nearby East Street be advised of the work, enabling dilapidation reports on their homes to be organised.
“I believe that some of the previous works allegedly caused some structural damage to houses in East Street,” he said.
Mr Bennett confirmed to The Post that this was true and that a claim had been made against the forecourt contractor about damage caused by rock drilling.
“We need to ensure that before any work starts that we talk to the community and we minimise any rock work so it doesn’t impact,” he said.
Operations director Matt O’Rourke said the design had been amended to substantially “lift up” the carpark.
Associated with the work, but separate to the Denrith contract, the council will also upgrade the power supply to the museum. Design for the aerial supply upgrade is underway and will include six poles on reinforced concrete footings to hold the cables. It’s expected to cost $100,000, with funds coming from the original $825,000 allocation for the carpark.
Mr Bennett said any left over funds would go to the museum. Sydney based Crone Architects has designed the $1.73m extension to this facility, which won council planning approval in February.
It adds 230 square metres for museum and travelling exhibitions and educational programs.
“I think there’s a real opportunity to use those additional funds for work to make this a better facility than what we ever anticipated,” Mr Bennett said.
He told The Post that staff had almost completed tender documentation for the museum’s construction.
“We’ll put it to tender very shortly and part of the contract will be that they cease work at least a week before Remembrance Day and the site be completely tidied and made very safe so there’s no impact on activities at the forecourt,” he said.
The GM did not expect a cost over run on the museum extension. Construction is expected to start mid year and take 12 months.
Cr Andrew Banfield declared a pecuniary interest in the item and absented himself from discussion as his brother-in-law, Andy Divall, is a director of Denrith. Cr Banfield is also an employee of the company.
Meantime, Goulburn RSL Sub Branch president Gordon Wade said ANZAC Day would be held at Belmore Park this year. Discussions were held with the council last November about having it at Rocky Hill but at that time it was expected the carpark work would begin in March and take 12 weeks.
Mr Wade said while Mayor Bob Kirk and Mr Bennett informed him that work could stop before the service and the site tidied up, the Sub Branch felt, after checking with insurers, that it carried unacceptable risks.
Mr Wade said the Sub Branch had to make a decision on the venue at that stage rather than leave it “until the last minute.”