Building industry crisis will flow onto Ballarat council costs, says CEO King

In response to questions from The Courier about the prospective final price of the project, now almost a decade in the planning, CEO Evan King gave written responses regarding the likely financial consequences for ratepayers.

"In developing the detailed scope of works for the project it was determined the proposed refurbishment works triggered increases to scope including mechanical equipment, electrical systems, fire services, roof replacement, and an upgrade to the lift, which meant the project scope needed to be adjusted and the budget increased to the estimated $6.99m before the project could progress," Mr King wrote.

"... that estimate was based on construction industry prices at the time, and it is anticipated there will be impacts on the costs due to current inflation pressures being experienced... It remains possible current market conditions within the construction industry could have an impact on the cost of the project."

The tender will be given to a single contractor, Mr King said, aside from interior fitout. The refurbishment will include an expanded 'children's section, discovery and play area, a designated performance space and lounge area in the youth section, and a second-level teaching space for activities including art and cooking.' No quiet or study areas are scoped.

The original initial budget for the renovation was $2.4m. Council's share was $1.9m, with $500,000 coming from the state government. As The Courier reported in April 2021, it was an absurdly optimistic bottom line, 'based on planned renovation, IT upgrade, furniture fit out, contingencies and other costs, according to council officer estimations'.

'The... report estimated the cost of the renovation works, but was not expected to look at the current state of the building or mechanical and other upgrades. It has since been determined proposed works have triggered upgrades to mechanical equipment, electrical systems, fire services, change of use upgrades, roof replacement, and lift upgrade.'

How those necessary overhauls were missed in the initial report has never been explained, nor questioned by councillors at the time. Instead, they agreed to a $4.596m increase in the budget for the renovations to the 28-year-old building, which CEO King said in a council meeting was just five years 'from being unusable.'

READ MORE:

The quality and amenity of the library building has been in question for many years. In 2013 the Ballarat Library and Community Hub Design Report planned a complete refurbishment costing '$18.5 million for construction of building alterations and additions, associated site works, fit out and loose furniture, professional and statutory fees and car park allocation for 120 replacement spaces. Cost is exclusive of GST, escalation, RFID sorter and IT equipment, and works associated with hazardous materials and contaminated soils.'

The design was shelved. In 2016 a plan was made to improve staff security by moving the entrance to the Civic Hall carpark after a series of incidents involving employee safety. In 2019 the historic and valuable Australiana Collection - a valuable record of the life of Ballarat, including microfiches of newspapers and rare volumes - was moved from the library and stored at the Eureka Centre. Questions about the deaccessioning of books from the library's collection at the time were not answered.

The 2020 tender for the current refurbishment's design also caused upset after the City of Ballarat decided to give the brief to Sydney firm Studio Hollenstein, rather than a local architectural firm. Several of Ballarat's award-winning architects were strongly critical of the decision, which council defended as 'following a thorough and transparent selection process under Council's new Procurement Policy.'

The previous library building in Barkly Street, Ballarat East (boasting a book collection second only to the State Library of Victoria) housed the city's collections from 1870 to 1973. According to Federation University it went into decline after the amalgamation of the Ballaarat and Ballarat East Councils in 1921, becoming a branch library in 1949.

The polychrome brick building is still standing, now used by Federation University as a training space.

Now just one tap with our new app. Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with The Courier. See how to download it below: