Local firm ARW Multigroup has been appointed to design, construct and upgrade amenities at North Park and the new hockey complex. The council selected the company from a field of four tenders, based on the lowest price and experience. The other firms were from out of town.

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ARW will complete the project for $3,028,359. Councillors were told at their meeting on Tuesday that both works would run in tandem. A spokesman said work was expected to begin in the second half of 2022.

The North Park project, estimated to cost $1.5m, involves demolition of old facilities and construction of a new pavilion which will include a canteen, meeting room, four change rooms, referee room, public toilets and storage and associated infrastructure.

Crucially, amenities will cater for both genders.

The new facility on the western side of the Finlay Road hockey complex will include four change rooms, referee rooms, a hockey shop and other areas.

Mayor Peter Walker said he and councillors were pleased a local firm was awarded the work.

"ARW also built the Seiffert Oval pavilion and Cookbundoon (field) amenities. I'm over the moon that they put the best tender forward because we know what their workmanship is like," he said.

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But he also welcomed an 'overdue' improvement.

"People might have been getting changed in their cars but most facilities also didn't have female change rooms," Cr Walker said.

"We have girls and women involved in so many sports now and they should have the same facilities as boys. It should always have been the case."

The Mayor argued Goulburn and region could not draw regional, state and national competitions without them.

The North Park project sits within a wider master plan for the site, aimed at improving usage. The plan proposes $7.2m in works but not all is funded.

However the council last year scored $1.58m in state and federal funding to build the pavilion and upgrade facilities.

The council is also chipping in $300,000 from unrestricted cash and $2.7m from the Veolia host fee towards the North Park and hockey complex projects.

Junior Rugby League has contributed $600,000 and Goulburn District Hockey Association - $200,000 for the works.

The council called tenders for the hockey amenities last year but prices came back above budget. The North Park work was then combined, the scope revised and tenders called again.

Cr Andy Wood told Tuesday's meeting he was pleased to see it going ahead.

"This is really important if we're serious about attracting competitions here," he said.

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