A SPECIAL meeting of councillors on Wednesday (25 October) may decide the fate of an $12 million upgrade to the Frankston Basketball Stadium.
The project has been mired in bitter disagreement between Frankston Council and the Frankston & District Basketball Association for the past few months.
Some councillors, including the mayor Cr Brian Cunial and Cr Colin Hampton who have been most vocal about the disagreement, have accused the association of holding up the stadium redevelopment by refusing to sign a new lease for the stadium.
Association president Gary Emery says a June deal brokered by former federal Dunkley Liberal MP Bruce Billson – called in as a mediator – has subsequently changed.
At last Monday’s public council meeting it emerged that builder Devco Project & Construction Management will charge at least $200,000 due to project delays and council is negotiating with the association over splitting this bill.
Devco contractors have been waiting to begin the redevelopment.
“These negotiations have been protracted for a great period of time,” Cr Colin Hampton said at last week’s council meeting. “As a consequence, the cost of this development is escalating by many hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
A council officers’ report tabled at the meeting stated federal and state government funding for the stadium revamp – $5.2 million and $2.5 million respectively – could be in jeopardy if a lease cannot be signed soon.
Deadlines to begin the project have already been missed.
“As milestones have not been met council is in breach of its funding agreements with the state and federal government.”
The association has an existing lease with nine years to run if a new lease is not signed.
