By Alesha Capone
Wyndham council is preparing to spend up to $7.5 million to fix the leaking roof at Eagle Stadium in Werribee. The $47 million stadium had been plagued by a leaking roof since it was built about four years ago, forcing the cancellation of sports games on days of heavy rainfall.
A financial report released by the council last month stated: “Legal avenues for compensation are still being pursued for Eagle roof”.
The council’s director of city operations Stephen Thorpe, said the council has engaged an independent structural engineer to provide an expert opinion on the causes of the leaks. “He has recommended options to fix the roof permanently and council has now called for tenders for a team to carry out those works,” Mr Thorpe said.
“In this financial year, up to $500,000 is budgeted to cover the interim measures and design for the permanent works.
“We’ve planned for up to $7 million to complete the permanent works in our draft budget 2020-21, however this will not be known until the designs are completed.”
Mr Thorpe said that while the design work was underway, and as the wetter months approached, the council was implementing further interim measures “to minimise leaking and the impact on our community”.
“Council appreciates the frustrations of the community/users of the facility and that’s why we have been looking at the best ways to minimise disruptions in the short term, while taking the necessary steps to resolve the issue permanently,” he said.
“Our priority is to ensure the roof stops leaking permanently, and once the issue is resolved we will then consider steps to recoup costs.” More than 600 people have signed an online petition calling for a permanent fix to the leaking roof at Eagle Stadium.
The petition was started at Change.org by Wyndham resident Joe Williamson, during June last year.
