Horsham Regional Livestock Exchange’s $3.7 million roof installation has been completed on time and within budget.
Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster and Horsham Rural City Council Mayor Robyn Gulline were at the Burnt Creek facility on Tuesday to mark the official opening.
The roof features a sawtooth modular design that covers the entire saleyard area of 23,400 square metres.
LED lighting throughout, solar panels and a new rainwater storage system were also part of the upgrade.
Cr Gulline thanked Dr Webster for the funding contribution which helped make the project possible.
She said long-term benefits from the roof included weather protection for livestock, staff, agents and buyers, improved livestock quality and reduced cleaning and maintenance costs.
“The new upgrades ensure that the Horsham facility remains a modern and competitive livestock exchange, generating over $70 million of stock sales annually for the wider Wimmera Region,” Cr Gulline said.
“Importantly sales were able to proceed throughout the construction period with minimal disruption to the sale process. This is a testament to the close cooperation between the agents, the construction contractor MKM Constructions and Council staff.
“Council is appreciative of the ongoing advice from the Board of the Exchange, and recognise that this roofing project is the result of its ongoing long-term planning for the site, as identified in the 2018 Master Plan,” she said.
HRCC successfully applied for a $1,490,000 grant from the Australian Government’s Building Better Regions Fund last year.
Council allocated $2.02 million for the project in its 2019-20 Budget and construction started in December 2019.
