November 22, 2022
A shortage of concreters and a long community consultation program that ran until the end of September has pushed the completion of Kumbia’s CBD upgrade back by three months.
At this week’s General Meeting, officers will report that Council staff began working on the upgrade in mid-October.
So far, they have removed street trees and damaged sections of kerb on Bell Street, and have now begun building new kerbs and gutters and fixing adjacent footpaths.
Staff have also began replacing damaged sections of the street’s water main but expect full replacement will not occur until just before Christmas.
Officers will also report they have bough new seats and a shelter structure that will sit next to the street’s new pedestrian crossing and bus stop (between Lenihan’s Butchery and Francis Street), and are currently ordering replacement street trees and plants for the project as well.
However work has been affected by difficulty in engaging contract concreters, who are in high demand at the moment.
And with Kumbia’s Christmas celebrations coming up soon, staff are also mindful the CBD needs to be presentable during the holiday period.
Because of this, they will recommend remaining works be staged to minimise Christmas impacts by ensuring there are minimal open excavations or barricades in place during the holiday period.
The remainder of the work – which includes preparing concrete median strips; erecting the shelter structure, street trees and seats; and completing any remaining footpath or driveway upgrades will recommence next February and be completed by March.
The CBD upgrade project was originally budgeted at $300,000.
But at September’s General Meeting, Councillors voted to tip an extra $50,000 into the project to cover the rising costs of labour and materials.
Related articles:
- Council To Consult On Kumbia
- Council Updates Kumbia Plans
- Residents To Develop Kumbia Plan
- $60,000 Upgrade For Bell Street
