LIKE most other people in the Sunraysia sporting community, I can’t wait for the Mildura Sporting Precinct to be fully completed and hosting major events.
Those who have had the foresight to get the $45 million facility off the ground are to be applauded.
The best days in my 20-year career as a journalist have been reporting on National Basketball League and top-level footy games when I worked for papers in Canberra (where I cut my teeth as a reporter), Cairns, Gold Coast and Greater Sydney.
From a reporter’s point of view, there’s nothing better than riding the wave of emotions with the fans and having the privilege of interviewing the coaches and players post-game.
I’ve seen the good, bad and ugly of sporting stadiums and footy ovals north of the Murray River, so I have an understanding of what works and what doesn’t.
I couldn’t believe the fundamentals that were left out of Stage 1 of the MSP project, particularly with a $32.9 million budget to play with.
Mildura council said there needed to be a community focus in the first stage, but surely undercover seating around the premier oval had to be factored into the early equation?
It’s missing though, along with more permanent seating for the basketball show court, which has already cost the council an opportunity to host an NBL game this year.
This sort of thing is much harder to fix when the stadium’s already been built.
Now, following a request by key tenant Mildura Basketball Association, a “high volume” of retractable seats – at a cost of $250,000 – have been ordered as part of Stage 2 to go on the show court for fans and sponsors.
I’ve heard the private thoughts of some local sporting officials about various other aspects of the stadium.
While they concede that, aesthetically, it looks impressive, it falls short from a user-friendliness point of view.
The tall glass windows next to the courts facing the premier oval are a case in point.
They look great, but council’s had to scramble to get tall curtains to remove the glare on the courts. Another extra cost.
Where was the consultation with sporting groups early in the planning process to avoid this problem?
This week, I requested the cost breakdown for the first stage of the project.
A council spokesman said Stage 1 was “currently in the defects and liability period of the contract”.
“The budget is currently tracking to forecast expenditure,” he said.
The biggest cost has been $26.6 million for the stadium and pavillion.
If it costs $250,000 for what’s expected to be 1200 seats, why wasn’t that included in the stadium’s first stage?
The premier oval cost $1.6 million to put in place. Surely some undercover seating for players, officials and fans could have been included in this?
This sort of stuff shouldn’t be rocket science. It’s the basic necessities for a “premier” oval before the final phase of the project is reached.
It appears as though Melbourne-based planning consultants are going to do pretty well out of this project.
After stadium, pavilion, premier oval, car park and other construction expenses, they’ll get a share in the $3 million that is left over in the budget.
Perhaps I’m just nit-picking, but I feel there are still important questions to be asked on how the $32.9 million has been spent on Stage 1.
