THE City of Melville will need to spend $100,000 to proceed with a review of the Tompkins Park redevelopment after previously voting to put the project on hold.
The council voted last month to halt the project pending a review, following the collapse of the wave park project in Alfred Cove and the refusal of the Melville Bowling Club to amalgamate with the Mt Pleasant Bowling at the reserve.
At the June 4 council briefing forum, it was revealed the City would need to pay $100,000 for designs, costings and stakeholder engagement for the review.
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The council officer’s recommendation is to support the funding, defer a development application with the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage.
They will also be asked to note funding needed for the Mt Pleasant Bowling Club and Tompkins Park Community and Recreation Association (TPCRA) in the 2019-20 budget at the June 18 meeting.
Mt Pleasant Bowling Club president Robert Cook and two club representatives made a deputation to the council about the $60,000 needed for greens keeping following financial difficulties after many delays to the Tompkins Park project.
The club had anticipated moving to Tompkins Park in late 2018, but there had been multiple delays to the project.
“We are at the mercy of the council, if we don’t get the money then we’ll have to close our doors because we will be trading insolvent,” Mr Cook previously told the Melville Times.
Councillors asked the representatives whether they would be open to a move to the Melville Bowling Club (MBC) and queried the club’s membership base and finances.
The representatives stated they had previously approached MBC about amalgamating twice, but had been turned down.
MBC president Tim Smith told the Melville Times recently they would be open to the idea of accepting the Mt Pleasant Bowling Club at its facility.
The council has been recommended by City officers to support a $100,000 grant to for the TPCRA for its ongoing operations.
The council will also consider the 2019-20 budget at the June 18 meeting, with a rates rise of 1.1 per cent being proposed.
Chief executive Marten Tieleman outlined the budget during the briefing session, with key components including the introduction of the three-bin system Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO).
Nearly $56 million has been budgeted for works on City-owned buildings, including $36 million for a new library and cultural centre, $11 million for the Tompkins Park redevelopment and $815,000 for refurbishments at Morris Buzacott Reserve.