Clubs the losers from netball court delay

The two clubs that are winter co-tenants of Western Park in Warragul are having to endure a second season of reduced income as well as effects on their "family environments" due to ongoing delays with the construction of new netball facilities.
The netball teams that represent the Warragul Football Netball Club in Gippsland League and the Warragul Industrials Football Netball Club that plays in the West Gippsland competition have to train and play their home games at another venue - in Burke St, Warragul.
Football continues at Western Park.
No netball has been played there since the 2020 season and, although both clubs expected to be back playing there this year, have been told by Baw Baw Shire that won't happen.
Warragul Football Netball Club president Michael Ireland used Gippsland League's match day publication, "The Record", to apologise "to everyone, especially visiting clubs for the inconvenience" and to express his disappointment and embarrassment with the situation.
Progress so far has been the laying of concrete slabs for the new courts and buildings.
Speaking to The Gazette Mr Ireland said the unavailability of the netball courts and planned new clubroom facilities impacted match day gate takings and food and drink canteen revenues of both clubs as well as diminishing their attractions as netball and football family clubs.
"The shire doesn't seem to understand the implications (of the delay)".Mr Ireland said there had been no suggestion from the council that annual fees charged the clubs would be reduced but foreshadowed his club would move for "some form of compensation".
The Warragul FNC last Sunday hosted what is normally its biggest home match of the year, against neighbourhood rivals Drouin, but without the usual atmosphere of football and netball matches running side-by-side and in front of a smaller crowd than would otherwise be expected.
The saga around the $1.6 million project, to which the state government has contributed $1.44 million, dates back to August 2020 when council announced the redevelopment following its successful application for government funds.
Council had earlier allocated $60,000 in its 2019-2020 budget for "design and investigation works".
The initial tender process early last year was cancelled following complaints that it was flawed and it was not until late June that a contract was let after a second call for tenders.
In response to questions put by The Gazette the shire's director community infrastructure Cohen Van der Velde blamed the delay on "poor ground conditions encountered on the site".
He said they were "far worse than the data indicated during the initial geotechnical investigation".
The Western Park reserve is built on the site of a former rubbish tip that was closed more than half a century ago.
Mr Van der Velde said the project had to be redesigned after the geotechnical investigation found "uncompacted, historic fill at depths of just 600 millimetres instead of the 2-2.5 metres that was reported".
WFNC's Mr Ireland finds it difficult to accept shire officers and council weren't aware of the site's history.
Just a few years ago new light towers for the oval were installed, including one not far from the netball facility, requiring deeper than normal bases to account for the below-surface conditions, he said.
Mr Van der Velde said construction of the courts and clubrooms were now scheduled to be completed late next September when the weather is suitable for the acrylic surface to be applied to the netball courts.
Club representatives on the project reference group had received regular updates on progress and council had worked with them to ensure competition games could be held at an alternative venue, he said.
Central ward councillor Danny Goss, who was mayor when the project was announced, has taken to Facebook to address the delays saying "plenty of you have asked me about the new Western Park netball courts and pavilion".
He said that after needing to re-tender for the work it was "all set to be completed before this season".
However, the "geo tech" which was done on the site did not reveal all of the problems but "everybody knows this is a former tip site," Cr Goss said, acknowledging the delay was very disappointing for everyone especially the clubs involved.
He said it was a tough site to work on and incumbent of council to "do it once and do it right".