Major upgrade of Aqua Jetty halted due to budget blowout

Plans to upgrade Aqua Jetty in Warnbro have been brought to a halt after it was deemed too expensive to carry out.

City of Rockingham councillors voted against the tender for Stage Two at a special council meeting this week as it "exceeded" the budget allocation.

The tendered price to update and modernise the facility, which included a wellness suite with a larger hydrotherapy pool, an expanded 'learn to swim pool' and a larger gymnasium, was 60 per cent higher than the available budget and well above the pre-tender estimate obtained during the design phase.

The price hike, attributed to the global increase in construction costs since the pandemic, and a tight labour market, would have an impact on the City's future planned works and costs to ratepayers.

Mayor Deb Hamblin said the City needs to be mindful of the impact the shortfall would have on residents at a time when the wider community continues to deal with increased cost of living pressures.

“We are very disappointed that we won’t be able to commence work on this important project early next year, as we had hoped, but as everyone managing their household costs knows there is a limit to how far the budget can stretch," she said.

The CEO will now investigate redesign options for Stage Two to try and reduce construction costs.