Council News Issue No: 128
CITY OF WAGGA WAGGA
FIRST PRINTED SATURDAY 21 JANUARY 2017
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GROWTH SPURT: The Livestock Marketing Centre at Bomen will undergo upgrades worth $2.7M in 2017 - the first works as part of the facility’s master plan adopted in 2016.
$2.7M upgrade for major facility The region’s premier cattle and sheep selling facility will undergo major upgrades in 2017 that will increase livestock capacity numbers and improve safety at the facility. The works are the first to be carried out from a range of initiatives identified in the Livestock Marketing Centre’s (LMC) Strategic Master Plan, adopted by Council in 2016, to help future-proof the facility. The Bomen-based LMC will undergo $2.7M worth of works, including expansion of the existing cattle yards, increasing the hold
capacity from 2700 cattle to 5500, addressing both a current capacity shortfall and catering for projected growth. To make way for the larger cattle yards, the existing calf pens will be relocated and a roofed area will be built providing a more versatile area for calf selling. An elevated pedestrian walkway will be built above the cattle yards, improving public safety to the cattle selling arena, canteen area and amenities. Added safety mechanisms for staff use will also be installed in the cattle selling ring. City of Wagga Wagga General Manager Alan Eldridge said the LMC master plan was a whole-of-precinct approach that ensured planning and capacity support was in place
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now and in to the future. “The master plan and these upcoming works will go a long way in retaining the LMC’s status as one of Australia’s leading livestock selling centres – a title the facility has held for almost 40 years,” Mr Eldridge said. “In the 2015/16 selling year the LMC sold more than $387M worth of stock, which was about 1.85 million sheep and 222,000 cattle. “The LMC also provides an estimated $32.6M in gross regional product to the local economy and supports more than 200 jobs, through direct and flow-on effects.” The upgrade and improvement works will be done by a Wagga Wagga based company with proven experience in the construction of cattle yards in Australia.
ABOUT THE LIVESTOCK MARKETING CENTRE • The LMC is Australia’s largest sheep selling centre by number. • The sheep yards are respected as a leading example of flow through design and functionality • The LMC is also a prime cattle sale yard. It offers ring selling for cattle and is unmatched nationally in throughput efficiency and yard operations • The LMC Master Plan aims to ensure the prosperity of the facility beyond 2035
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