MidCoast Council is using a “gateway process” in its planned move to the former Masters site at Taree South.
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This process comprises five stages which Steve Embry, council’s director of corporate and business services, says will ensure optimal outcomes are achieved for council and the community on time and on budget.
“Gateway, step by step, and at each step we can stop,” Cr Claire Ponton told the December meeting of council. That meeting dealt with a report on the arrangements proposed for preliminary investigations into the feasibility of centralising council’s administrative functions at this site.
However, Cr Peter Epov said council hadn’t examined other uses of the site, for a sporting facility, a community facility or a business park.
The gateway process was endorsed by council. It involves a series of “health checks” to provide all stakeholders confidence that projects are ready for the next stage and is will provide councillors with the necessary control to ensure projects can be governed through a series of decision points.
The initial stage will focus on the project concept and would involve council agreeing that the project is feasible and potentially affordable, subject to further investigation.
Council has formed an internal project team that provides instructions and necessary data to external consultants.
Savills Project Management Pty Ltd was appointed to prepare a high level business case and First State Property Valuers was appointed to prepare five valuations – the Biripi Way site, the MidCoast Water offices at both Taree and Forster and the existing main council offices at Taree and Forster.
Council also appointed Rider Levett Bucknall to provide a surveyor report for the likely cost of fitting out and proposed refurbishment of the sites with two primary options – centralisation at Biripi Way and campus modelling using the four existing sites.
Council noted at the December meeting that the preliminary finding by Savills was that the single site option was the preferred option. Council resolved to further investigate the move to Masters and has required a program and budget report to approve before proceeding to the next stage.
The second stage of the gateway process is the design stage, focusing on design, costs and funding. At this stage resources would be committed to design.
The third stage focuses on construction, the fourth stage on the occupation and operation of the site and the final stage involves agreement on costs, benefits and lessons learned.
Council resolved to buy the former Masters site at 2 Biripi Way for a purchase price of $7 million on November 2 and the sale was completed on December 4.