This was the year the Oakford Bush Fire Brigade was promised construction would start on their new station.
But after a decade of limbo, not a single sod has been turned.
“Approximately 10 years ago, far too long ago to only be making this statement now, the land from which our brigade operates was sold,” Oakford Bush Fire Brigade’s Paul Larsen told council this month.
“Since then, at a moment’s notice, the brigade has continually faced the prospect of eviction.
“Whilst, fortunately, this risk has not yet materialised, it has been a significant source of anxiety for brigade members who know just how important the service we provide is.”
But hope was renewed in March last year when the Development Application (DA) for a new station on Pony Place in Oakford was approved by council.
All was going well until a sizeable spanner was thrown in the works in April this year, with all tenders for the new build rejected by the shire.
But the companies bidding for the project were not at fault.
During the tender evaluation process in April, shire staff uncovered a substantial discrepancy between the council-approved DA and the concept plan that eventually went out to tender – an error that could put the project and the shire at risk if it went ahead as advertised.
At the time we asked the shire who was responsible for the blunder, and how it had happened, but were told then that a report on the issue would come to council “in due time”.
Eight months later and the public still hasn’t heard a mea culpa.
So, we asked again.
This time Shire President Rob Coales explained that the “discrepancies between the concept plan and the approved DA included a larger fire station building footprint, provisions for onsite groundwater abstraction and groundwater tank storage, a fire truck filling standpipe and additional parking spaces”.
This overreach was the fault of shire officers who had developed the plan in consultation with ‘project stakeholders’.
After the error was picked up, it was back to the drawing board to massage the concept plan back into something that fit what council had approved.
And a new tender was advertised in July this year.
But it wasn’t until this month that it was brought back to council to approve a contractor.
And this time, estimated costs have ballooned above the original budget. Capital expenditure has increased by $535,000, with the proposed budget now $3,197,909.
Shire President Rob Coales explained the blowout rather benignly, stating that “following the completion of the concept design phase and tender process, a revised project budget has been determined which includes costs for design, construction, project management and contingency allowances”.
But if the last few years has taught us anything, it’s that time is money in the construction industry, and delays often come with hefty price tags.
The wait to get the project back on track has been excruciating for the Oakford Bush Fire Brigade, Emergency Support Brigade, and the community.
A petition started by Leon Kingston to implore council to advance and deliver the project “without delay and sparing any necessary expense to prioritise community safety and resilience” garnered over 300 signatures in just six days. It was presented to council at their December 9 meeting.
“Our brigade works tirelessly year-round to keep our shire and Western Australians safe, but importantly, we as volunteers have also worked tirelessly to advocate for and secure funding and land to ensure the shire stands able to deliver this vital community infrastructure,” Paul Larsen said, while a large number of brigade volunteers looked on.
“These supporters – resident and ratepayers from Oakford, Byford, Darling Downs, Serpentine, and Jarrahdale – have voiced their clear expectation that the design and construction of the new station be expedited.”
Council heard their pleas and approved the contract and budget increase unanimously.
We asked the shire when construction would now begin.
“A project timeline will be developed and agreed to between the shire and the contractor. Once the project timeline is finalised it will be communicated,” President Coales said.
We also asked what was being done to ensure this kind of bungle never happens again.
“The shire has conducted a lessons learnt assessment in accordance with the shire’s project management framework. Improvements identified as part of the lessons learnt assessment have already been applied to the planning and delivery of projects,” he said.
