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Monday 27 November 2017
5973 6424 or email: team@baysidenews.com.au www.baysidenews.com.au
Christmas cheer
MUMS Supporting Families In Need recently celebrated its fifth birthday and volunteers are preparing to spread some festive spirit to disadvantaged families this Christmas. Volunteers such as Lois, left, Jodie, Donna and Jen are seeking donations and help to distribute gifts and food to families. See story Page 6. Picture: Gary Sissons
Council walks from stadium upgrade Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au FRANKSTON Council has walked away from funding any part of a proposed $12.7 million upgrade of the Frankston Basketball Stadium after months of negotiations over the signing of a new lease for the stadium. Council also vowed to have $5.2 million of federal government funding and $2.5 million of state government funding for the project reallocated elsewhere in the latest salvo of an increasingly bitter stoush with the Frankston & District Basketball Association (FDBA).
as e m ir st anc r Ch lea C
Council and the FDBA have been at odds over revised lease terms amid disagreement on retractable seating being part of the initial scope of the upgrade and control of a car park. The existing stadium was fully funded by the association and is located on council-owned land at Bardia Avenue in Seaford. A majority of councillors have insisted the FDBA hand over detailed financial accounts rather than audited accounts provided for years under the association’s existing lease. It is understood that the association offered last week to hand over the detailed financials to state government Navada 7pc
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body Sports and Recreation Victoria (SRV) to report to council but this compromise was rejected by council. Councillors last Monday evening (20 November) voted behind closed doors after council’s monthly public meeting to withdraw $4.5 million of ratepayers’ money from the stadium upgrade project. The Times can reveal a 7-2 majority of councillors voted to walk away from the stadium project. The mayor Colin Hampton and crs Kris Bolam, Brian Cunial, Sandra Mayor, deputy mayor Lillian O’Connor, Michael O’Reilly and Steve Toms voted to pull the plug on coun-
cil’s contribution. Crs Glenn Aitken and Quinn McCormack voted to not pull the funding at this stage. After the meeting, a media statement claimed Frankston Council “commits to future of sports in Frankston” despite walking away from the basketball stadium project. The mayor said in the statement that the FDBA “reneged on agreements and drove too hard a bargain”. “Nobody is a winner out of this. As a council we were ready and willing to commence work on delivering a terrific updated facility. Instead, we will refocus our efforts on providing improved
basketball facilities in other ways for our community,” Cr Hampton said. “The decision to withdraw from the project was made for reasons beyond council’s control and in the best interests of the entire Frankston City community after two-and-a-half years of negotiations failed to reach an agreement. “Agreements that were made at an earlier meeting overseen by former federal member for Dunkley Bruce Bilson on lease arrangements, project scope and for the FDBA to provide full financial accounts have failed to be met and for this reason, the project cannot continue. Continued Page 4
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