Orange sports stadium: What do we actually wants, asks Cr Kevin Duffy

In a report tabled at Tuesday night's Orange City Council Sport and Recreation policy committee meeting the escalation was blamed on the rising costs across the NSW building and construction sector. It lifts the project's price tag to $35 million.

During Tuesday's meeting Cr Kevin Duffy asked when the finer details of the sports precinct would be nailed down.

"We haven't had the actual real discussions of what we actually want out there, the same way we have the information for the planetarium-conservatorium, we have a quantitative surveyor report on that and that's pretty much spot on, on what we actually want," he said.

Cr Duffy was referring to the OCC's $25 million Regional Conservatorium and Planetarium project which is also in the design stage.

"What are we actually going to put in the grandstand? What sized grandstand? The finer detail of what it is because if it comes out at another $15 million, we've got to fork out another five on top of that."

Community Services director Scott Maunder told the meeting council was on the verge of appointing an architect for detailed design.

"To date the concept designs that have been developed have been developed based on feedback from state and national sporting groups as to what is required for those facilities," Mr Maunder said.

"They were developed and included in some concept designs that enabled the DA to be progressed and approved and so."

Mr Maunder said detailed costings should be released by the end of this year.

On the possibility of another escalation in costs, Mr Maunder said Orange City Council was working with the Department of Regional NSW to monitor and manage the costs of the project and identify any additional funding sources and savings.

"We're looking at ways which we can contain construction costs and we'll bring those details back to Council as they become apparent," Mr Maunder said.

Orange City Council has applied for $10 million under the Commonwealth Government's Building Better Regions Fund, the maximum amount available under this program. The decision will be announced in October.

Cr Jack Evans asked what was planned for the piles of mulch and logs at the site, asking if it could be sold and put towards the project's funding.

The meeting was told a portion of the mulch will be used for landscaping at the site while the remainder, along with the logs had been sold to a Sydney company.

It will be cleared within the next four weeks so earthworks, which will cost almost $9 million, can begin. That work is expected to be completed around April next year.

The report which was noted at Tuesday's meeting stated "the detailed design stage that is about to commence will look to achieve savings in the design and delivery of the project whilst not compromising on the function of the complex", which rang an alarm bell for Cr David Mallard who sought an assurance the greenspace around the project would not be compromised.

Mr Maunder said a key component of the Heritage NSW approval for the project was the commitment to greenspace and council staff were in the process or pre-ordering trees.

The project will be completed in two stages with the first a track and field facility, grandstand and associated infrastructure and eight multi-purpose sporting fields, parkland and other recreation spaces.

Stage two is the construction of the main stadium.

Cr Mel McDonell asked where council staff was at with the maintenance estimations for the precinct once completed with Mr Maunder saying it would be presented at the next meeting.

Tuesday's Sport and Recreation policy committee meeting also approved a donation for the annual management and maintenance of Orange Waratah Sporting Club's sporting fields for $111,052 for the 2022-23 financial year.