Update on construction of $109m Hervey Bay council admin, community hub
More work has begun at the site of Hervey Bay’s controversial $108m council administration and community hub, it has been revealed.
Business
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Construction work on Hervey Bay’s new council administration building and community hub has taken its next step, with excavation now underway for the basement car park.
The construction of the $108.7m hub, which is supported by $40m from the Australian Government under the Hinkler Deal, and additional funding from Fraser Coast Regional Council, is progressing well with national construction company Hansen Yuncken kicking off the works earlier this year.
The huge project has been subject to controversy, with Maryborough MP Bruce Saunders dubbing the development the “Taj Mahal” in 2022 and predicting a cost blowout at the time to about $140m.
Hansen Yuncken have now engaged four more local businesses for trade packages valued at more than $3m, in addition to the eight local companies previously engaged for goods and services valued at more than $12m.
Wide Bay Scaffolding, Meales Wide Bay Concrete Pumping, Wide Bay Crane Hire and Neumann Steel are among the latest businesses set to benefit from the project.
The community hub will include a Disaster Resilience Centre, an expanded library over two levels, a new public plaza, and flexible spaces for meetings and events.
More than three-quarters of the development will be community space.
Almost 100 foundation piles and 371 basement wall piles were created to help prepare the foundations for the new five-storey building on the corner of Main St and Torquay Rd in Pialba, and now local contractor Wombat Civil and Earthworks is excavating the single-level basement car park.
About 8600 cubic metres of material will be removed over the five weeks of the excavation works, with the car park to provide 68 parking spaces underneath the building.
The council is also extending the car park near the current library site and Hervey Bay PCYC to provide 162 new car parks and is exploring additional on-street parking options within the city centre.
Construction is due to be completed in mid-2026.
Fraser Coast Regional Councillor, Denis Chapman said the development was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the city centre, create jobs and drive business investment.
The Hinkler Regional Deal is a partnership between the Australian Government, Fraser Coast Regional Council and Bundaberg Regional Council that seeks to build on the area’s strengths to provide economic growth and long-term employment.
For more information on the Hervey Bay City Centre community hub, click here.
Regional Development Minister Kristy McBain said regional communities deserved quality community infrastructure and multipurpose spaces that could bring them together.
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