Reallocation of over $700K for new wall

A RECOMMENDATION to reallocate $787,500 from the Capital Works Program budget will be made in this week’s Council meeting, removing funds from the Koonwarra Landfill Cell 5 Construction budget.

Authority would also be delegated to the Chief Executive Officer to award a tender to replace the damaged retaining wall at the Walkerville Transfer Station. 

The South Gippsland Shire Council seek to design and construct a new wall to allow the station to continue to function reducing the risks of service disruption and saving maintenance costs in the future.

Following an incident in which the wall was damaged, an inspection revealed that the overall condition of the retaining wall was in very poor condition, with extensive rusting of the steel and rotting of the sleepers. 

The deterioration seems to have occurred because of poor drainage behind the wall, which was not externally evident, prior to the damage exposing the issue.

The current condition of the wall poses a risk of the structure collapsing, necessitating the damaged bay being barricaded off in the short term.

A section of the wall has also failed sooner than anticipated increasing the urgency to remove and replace the entire structure – the only viable option at this stage according to the council report.