Belmore Sports Ground – Grandstand Improvements

City Services Committee Meeting,

14 April 2005

Report By: DIRECTOR OF CITY WORKS

Summary:

•  The Bulldogs Rugby League Club has provided us with a list of works they require to be carried out to the Belmore Sportsground grandstand in order for them to maintain a presence at the ground.

•  The improvements required involve the refurbishment and expansion of the Football Club's office area, upgrading the security of the Corporate area, rehabilitating the change rooms, extending the gymnasium and other general works in the spectator seating area of the grandstand.

•  The estimated cost of the work is $1,213,400.

•  It is recommended that the Bulldogs Rugby League Club be advised that no objection is raised to the Club carrying out the improvement and upgrading works at Belmore Sportsground identified in the body of the report (subject to Development Approval) but that Council is unable to make a contribution to the cost of the work.

City Plan and Budget Implications:

There has been no provision made in the budget to carry out the repair, upgrading and refurbishment works requested by the Club.

Report:

The Club's Request

Correspondence has been received from the Bulldogs Rugby League Club that the following works are required to be carried out to the Belmore Sportsground Grandstand for the Bulldogs to consider remaining at the ground for the long term.

The works required are:

•  complete office refurbishment

•  office extension into the Steve Mortimer Bar to cater for the Accounts Department and the Junior Rugby League offices

•  security upgrade for the Corporate areas

•  pigeon removal

•  grandstand seating bowl refurbishment

•  plumbing and electrical works throughout

•  refurbishment of existing dressing room facilities

•  extension of the gymnasium by about 100m²

Background

In late 2004, The Bulldogs advised us that it was their intention to relocate their activities from the Belmore Sportsground to Crest Park , Georges Hall and that the move was expected to occur either prior to, or at the end of, the 2005 football season. As a consequence of this advice we engaged the services of Thompson Tregear Pty Ltd, management and leisure consultants, to carry out a study to identify options for the future use of the area once the site had been vacated. This study has now been completed and will be the subject of a future report to Council.

The Bulldogs have indicated that they desire to maintain a presence at Belmore but to do so, the previously mentioned works at Belmore Sportsground would need to be carried out. They advise, that even with the refurbishments and renovations requested, the venue would still remain unsuitable for National Rugby League (1st Grade) games, but would be suitable for Premier League, other junior competition games and special events. They have also outgrown their Football Club office accommodation which they advise requires upgrading and extension with additional storage areas needed to be provided for the merchandise they stock.

Details of Refurbishment Works Requested

A description of the refurbishment, upgrading and construction works requested by the Club is as follows:

•  Office Refurbishment

The Football Club's office is located below the southern wing of the grandstand. The refurbishment work required involves extending the reception area and securing it from the main office, constructing two offices to replace existing work stations, providing a dedicated area for their IT hardware and storage facilities. The provision of these additional facilities required within the area that they have allocated for administrative purposes will be a challenge and subject to a detailed design.

The Football Operations area of the office is also crowded. Three offices and six work stations are located in this area; two of these work stations are required to be converted to offices and better use needs to be made of the wall areas to create storage opportunities.

The estimated cost of these elements of the total refurbishment work requested is $247,000.

•  Office Extension into Steve Mortimer Bar Area

The Steve Mortimer Bar is located in the middle (main) section of the grandstand and is above the change rooms. As the name suggests, the area is a former bar and open space, approximately 14m x 17m (238m²) in size, which the Club now utilises as a storage room for its merchandise.

The Club requires the area to be converted to office accommodation for their Junior League administrators and Finance staff. In addition to the two dedicated offices and five work stations to be provided, an 8-10 place boardroom, a compactus area and a 60m² secure room is required to store their merchandise. The estimated cost of converting the Steve Mortimer Bar area to office accommodation is $188,000.

•  Security Upgrade for the Corporate Area

The Corporate areas are located at the top of the grandstand. This area is accessed from the main seating area via a number of doorways, all of which have been secured to deny unauthorised entry. The doorways at either end of the grandstand do, however, require more secure hardware. The work required to better secure the access points is of a minor nature and is estimated to cost $5,600.

•  Pigeon Removal

Pigeons roost on the beams and purlins supporting the grandstand roof, soiling the seats and walkways directly below. To prevent this from occurring wire netting would need to be installed to the underside of the roof to deny them access. The problem was identified by Maintenix Pty Ltd when they recently inspected the grandstand for audit reporting purposes.

The estimated cost of installing netting to the underside of the roof is $60,000.

•  Grandstand Seating Bowl Refurbishment

This item refers to the condition of some of the spectator seats within the grandstand; a number of which have been vandalised or removed and require replacement.

The estimated cost of this task is $28,300.

•  Plumbing and Electrical Work

There is a need for tradesmen to inspect and repair plumbing and electrical items throughout the grandstand. The need was also identified by Maintenix Pty Ltd in their recent audit report on the building. The estimated cost of carrying out the required inspections and repairs is $56,000.

•  Dressing Rooms

The Club is requesting that the "home" and "away" and referees dressing rooms be completely refurbished. The work required includes the retiling of the wet areas, replacement of the rubber and carpet floor coverings, repainting the rooms and other miscellaneous minor improvements. The estimated cost of the refurbishment is $174,000.

•  Extension of the Gymnasium

The gymnasium is located under the northern end of the grandstand. It occupies a space of approximately 280m²; it is requested that it be extended to provide a total area of 400m². To achieve this requirement approximately 600m³ of spoil would need to be removed from under the front of the northern wing of the grandstand. A retaining wall would need to be demolished and re-erected and new walls constructed to enclose the reclaimed area.

The estimated cost of the works is $454,500.

Summary of Costs

The estimate of costs have been prepared based on discussions with the Club's Events and Operations Manager to clarify the design brief. Unit rates from Rawlinson Australian Construction Handbook were then utilised to determine budget costings. No designs for any of the works referred to in the report have been prepared to permit more accurate estimates to be determined.

Funding

The preferred position of the Club is that the abovementioned works be financed by Council. It is, however, a matter yet to be discussed in detail by the Club's Board.

Conclusion

In clarifying the extent of works required by the Club to be carried out in the grandstand at Belmore Sportsground, the Events and Operations Manager commented on the condition of the floodlights used to illuminate the playing arena for night games. They appear to be in satisfactory condition although electrical cabling located in the S/W light stanchion needed to be checked and some replacement light globes would be required.

He further advised that the Board of the Bulldogs Club was due to meet on 11 April 2005 and some idea as to Council's position regarding the matters which are the subject of this report, would be appreciated.

The Club has advised that even if the improvements are carried out, first grade games will not be played at Belmore in the future. Theses matches will be played at either Telstra Stadium or the Sydney Showground. Moreover, the Club has given no assurance that its presence at Belmore will continue in the longer term. As things stand at present, the relocation of the Bulldogs to Crest Park , Georges Hall is expected to occur in mid October 2005.

Recommendation:

THAT the Bulldogs Rugby League Club be advised that no objection is raised to the Club carrying out the improvement and upgrading works at Belmore Sportsground described in the report (subject to Development Approval) but that Council is unable to make a contribution to the cost of the works.