Kingsbury Park could remain closed during Christmas holidays after council knocks back pricey tender

Kingsbury Park and the skate park may remain closed during the Christmas holidays after the Kalgoorlie-Boulder council knocked back a pricey tender for its Youth Precinct upgrade. A tender for “minor building works” for the project came in at $2.7 million — more than 30 per cent above the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s budget — with the council voting to reject it at Monday night’s meeting. The scope of works for the tender included the construction of new structures and the installation of park furniture and play equipment. Mayor Glenn Wilson said knocking back the tender could result in the park remaining closed until February, instead of opening in December as planned. He said the council went back to its quantitative surveyor to ensure the pricing they had set for the tender was correct, which it was. “At the moment many construction projects are facing either delays or overruns with budget due to the current nature of materials and contracts,” he said. “What we’re actually doing here is ensuring that ratepayers’ money is better utilised. “And while we could have accepted the tender for 30 per cent over, council don’t feel comfortable accepting that and having our ratepayers pay such a high premium on ensuring a project is completed on time. “(Council would) rather ensure that the ratepayers’ money is spent more responsibly, and we believe we can do that by not accepting the tender. “By not accepting the tender, officers now have the ability to engage with the market in regards to what’s required.” Mr Wilson said the council would continue to monitor what activities youth were looking to engage in and respond accordingly across the course of any delays to the project. The temporary skate park set up in the Egan Street carpark across from the Coles complex would likely continue to run. The Youth Precinct upgrade will include a new pump track, play space, parkour area, toilets and kiosk.