$1.3m repair bill added to $4.5m upgrade of Lismore City Regional Sports Hub

The multimillion-dollar upgrade to Lismore City Regional Sports Hub just got more expensive, as flood damage puts the project back $1.3 million in repairs.

OVAL UPGRADE: Artist impression of the completion of the $12m state-of-the-art facility including linking Oakes Oval and Crozier Field to cater for the future needs of officials, players, spectators and media. Image: Cox Architecture

The upgrade of the Lismore City Regional Sports Hub has taken a setback, as $1.3 million is now needed to effect flood repairs.

The February and March blackwater floods caused extensive damage to the Gordon Pavilion, with 1.2 metres of water inundating the top floor, with the repair bill coming in at a whopping $1,3 million.

Council voted on a motion at Tuesday night’s Lismore City Council meeting to vary the contract on the upgrade to include repairs.

Councillor Big Rob said the additional bill came across as the contractor saying “if you don’t give us more money, we’re not going to do the work”.

“I feel like we’re being stood over,” he said.

However, acting director of infrastructure services Scott Turner pointed out the repair was not included in the initial contract, and council had approached the contractor undertaking the current Oakes/Crozier upgrade project, Greg Clark Building about conducting the flood restoration to Gordon Pavilion on top of their original works.

The contractor priced the repairs at $1,319,900 to repair the bottom floor of the Gordon Pavilion, and council has lodged a claim with the state government to foot the bill for the repairs.

Lismore City Council received $4.5 million in grant funding to undertake a major upgrade of the Lismore Regional Sports Hub Oakes Oval and Crozier Field precinct in 2021 that will be used to upgrade and extend the Tidal Building and Gordon Pavilion.

All councillors except Cr Adam Guise voted to vary the existing contract with Greg Clark Building to include the million-dollar repair bill – if the state government agrees to come to the party.