DANDENONG
dandenong.starcommunity.com.au
Tuesday, 16 July, 2024
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Smile of the century One of Dandenong RSL’s great stalwarts, Dorothy (Dot) Wade, was feted with style by family and friends for her 100th birthday on Friday 12 July. Dot has been a familiar face around Dandenong raising funds for the ANZAC appeal and pitching in to support war veterans and widows. For more on the story, turn to page 8
(Stewart Chambers: 417431)
Dandy hub snub By Sahar Foladi The long-awaited Dandenong Community Hub (DCH) project appeared set to be “killed off“ in a council meeting closed to the public on Monday 8 July. A ’procurement update’ for the DCH and another major capital project the Dandenong Wellbeing Centre (DWC) were listed as a confidential agenda item. A vote on it was deferred to a future council meeting after a fiery debate by councillors. Council officers recommended that the council revise the hub’s concept design to “align with the budget allowed for in Council’s Long-Term Financial Plan (LTFP)“ potentially scrapping four years of consultations and concept designs. Councillor Tim Dark indicated the “kill(ing) off” of the project behind closed doors at the council meeting was not in the best interest of
the ratepayers. “There’s a lot of councillors who’ve had serious objections to it (the project) and have not supported the project. But if you’re going to kill off a project at least have the courage to do it in public view so that your residents know how you voted and whether you voted to kill off a project that is important for the growth of future generations.” The Dandenong Wellbeing Centre, so far estimated at nearly $100 million, is expected to cost more than that. However it’s “inappropriate” for the council to comment on the final costing as they’re part-way through the procurement process, according to the council’s City Futures executive director Sanjay Manivasagasivam. Councillor Rhonda Garad says it had been proposed that $30 million of hub funds will be “transferred” to cover the DWC cost blowout.
“That $30 million they’re transferring from the hub, you’ll never get that back,” Cr Garad told Star Journal. “This is a massive financial black hole. I fear for what it’ll do to the long-term financial costs of the council.“ Regarding the proposed hub redesign, Cr Garad said council officers “want a building with just a meeting room“. “They want to take all the community hub element out, take out the kinder, take the car parks, and they want to gut it so much that it’s not a community hub. “They’re fooling us through the implication that it’s the same design when it’s not. “I’m absolutely outraged on behalf of the community that have been lied to, used really, that all of their efforts have come to nothing,” Councillor Garad told Star Journal. “I think this is the most cynical act I’ve seen
on my four years on council.” She fears once the DWC - a replacement for the Oasis aquatic centre - is built, the costs “would be just phenomenal.“ “For a low income suburb with low swimming participation, to spend millions on one swimming pool while gutting a project that would have higher participation and is more geared towards our municipality, to me is discriminatory. “The business plan of the pool shows it’s not going to be residents attending the pool, it’s others coming in from neighbouring areas.“ However, Mr Manivasagasivam says the council is expected to spend $30 million on the hub “with the majority of costs budgeted over the 2025-26 and 2027 financial years.” Continued page 6
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