August 6, 2015
A new supermarket could open on the current site of the Blackbutt Memorial Hall by as early as December next year.
Blackbutt residents were told the good news at a public meeting held on Wednesday evening.
Mayor Wayne Kratzmann called the meeting to report the result of a vote in Council earlier in the day to accept a tender for the project.
He said the supermarket would provide modern shopping facilities and bring the equivalent of 14 permanent full-time jobs – or as many as 30 part-time jobs – to Blackbutt.
And, coupled with the $3 million road and drainage works now being undertaken in the CBD, it would lift Blackbutt to the same level of services enjoyed by the other major towns in the South Burnett.
“The job you gave us – as a Council – was to find someone who would move the Memorial Hall to a new site in town and build you a supermarket,” Mayor Kratzmann said.
“I’m very pleased to tell you that today Council unanimously accepted a tender from a supermarket developer to do just that.”
The Mayor then read out a copy of the resolution passed at Council’s general meeting, where Councillors accepted a tender from Breezeway Developments Pty Ltd for the project, subject to three main conditions.
Breezeway Developments will:
- Move the Memorial Hall from its present site to a new site near the Blackbutt Showgrounds
- Contribute $50,000 towards the cost of reconnecting the Hall’s infrastructure once the move is complete, and
- Not obtain title to the two lots that form the Memorial Hall’s present site until both Council and the community are satisfied the Hall has been restored to full working order
* * *
Mayor Kratzmann told the crowd of about 160 in Memorial Hall that the process had taken longer than he’d originally hoped because Council officers had taken every possible step to ensure the project went as smoothly as possible.
He said Council officers had done their best to ensure that any successful tenderer would not be left with any loopholes they could exploit, and the project would be carried out at no cost to ratepayers.
The Council had even obtained a bank guarantee of $200,000 to ensure that if the developer went broke part-way through the Hall’s relocation, the Council could engage other people to finish the work.
But he stressed he thought the chance of the developer running into trouble was highly unlikely.
He said Breezeway Developments specialised in building supermarkets and had an established track record of success; he had every confidence they would carry out the project in full.
* * *
The Mayor said he understood many people in the Hall would like to know which supermarket chain would set up in Blackbutt.
“Honestly, I can’t answer that,” he said.
“This company builds supermarkets, and then they find a chain to take over the premises after it’s built.
“So it could be SPAR or IGA, or somebody else. All I know is that because of the type of work they do, they’re very well connected in the supermarket industry.”
The Mayor said Council had received two Expressions of Interest when they called for them at the start of the year.
This had encouraged Council to put the project out to tender.
One of the groups that initially expressed interest dropped out at that point, but the one that remained – Breezeway – had agreed to Council’s terms.
* * *
The Mayor said Breezeway now had six months to go through the normal building approvals process, negotiate with Main Roads and any other agencies that might have an interest in the matter.
This meant the Hall would probably not be moved until early next year, after which construction would begin on the Coulson Street site.
“We will try to provide you with updates on how this is progressing every couple of months, and when the design is approved it will go on public display,” he said.
“With luck, you should see your new supermarket operating around Christmas next year.
“I won’t be Mayor then, but I live in the same Division as Blackbutt so I think you can all guess where I’ll be doing my supermarket shopping.”
After the announcement – which was broken by rounds of applause at several points – the Mayor wrapped up the meeting by inviting everyone to enjoy tea, coffee and supper while he answered questions individually.
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Well done Kratzie! I know how hard you worked to get this supermarket for Blackbutt. And for all the talk and the nay-sayers you delivered. Action, not words!