Quotes may be directly attributed to Infrastructure and Leisure Services General Manager Tony McGann.
The Bluewater Leisure Centre is a first class facility that provides a great service to this community. We now have a record number of memberships and a record number of people accessing the many services provided from the centre. This is a facility that this community is able to enjoy and a facility that many communities our size don’t have.
There were issues with the project before and during construction. These related mainly to the stadium floor but there were a number of more minor problems that had to be resolved. In reality this was normal for a project of this scale as we were extending and updating an old and complex building which also contains significant mechanical hardware. Issues were also impacted by budgetary restraints.
In February 2018, Council decided to take legal action against the architect and the builder of the project; the contractual issues between the parties are now resolved.
Our current status is that we now have a wonderful facility, built by a great local builder, which the community rates very highly.
The last task is to provide the community with the independent Post Project Review that Council commissioned. This allows our community to understand what an independent expert said about Council’s management of the project, the lessons learned and the four key recommendations made for future projects. The recommendations were that:
- Funding applications should be based on sound initial needs assessment
- We need to have better governance and risk management of projects
- That complex jobs such as this are managed by expert project managers
- That particular care should be taken on design changes intended to save costs
Since the Bluewater project completion, Council has developed an improved project management system and contract management system which puts Council in a much better position to manage projects to time, cost and quality outcomes.
At its Closed Session Ordinary Council Meeting on 27 November 2019, Council resolved to release the entire reports produced by Lambert and Rehbein entitled Post Project Review and Post Project Review Background Information with the exception of individual names, business names and any items legal advice identifies as contravening the settlement.
The Bluewater Project – Post Project Review Report is available on Council’s website at:
https://www.colacotway.vic.gov.au/News-media/Bluewater-Post-Project-Review
