Norman Griffiths Oval upgrade

Although unfavourable wet weather has continued to impact the site and delay the construction work, good progress is being made under difficult conditions.

Works have recently been completed on re-lining of existing large council stormwater pipe beneath the field. The concrete perimeter plinth works are well advanced and progressing well. Completion of the plinth will enable works to progress on the field including rollout of the impermeable membrane, detention drainage aggregate and field surface. Additional works include concrete pathways, completion of the field fencing, construction of the bio-retention basin and installation of connecting drainage infrastructure from the newly installed Gross Pollutant Trap (GPT) on Lofberg road. 

Council's project team and expert consultants continue to work with the EPA on improvements to the site with regard to managing future rain events.

Regarding the Clean Up Notice received by Council in March from the EPA, Council has complied with all the requirements to date and will continue to work with the EPA, ensuring the site is managed in accordance with approved environmental management controls and any other EPA requirements. View the Variation of EPA's Clean-Up Action notice(PDF, 179KB).

Additional water quality testing is being undertaken to monitor the water quality in of Quarry Creek and the results published on the Council website. Signs have been placed around the site near the creek advising of this and providing a QR code to the website.View water quality results here.The project includes water sensitive urban design elements such as the bio-retention basinand the GPT which, post construction, will result in a better quality of water entering Quarry Creek than was occurring prior to undertaking the project.

Project delayed and additional budget required

Although ground testing was undertaken during the planning for the project unfavourable ground conditions as well as asbestos contamination was uncovered during excavation. 

Significant delays were experienced to rectify these conditions and additional budget required to cover the unexpected events.

The asbestos contaminated land was remediated with an approved remediation plan under the supervision of a hygienist.

Wet weather has led to a number of delays

• In early April 2024 the site experienced record rainfall and was inundated with a significant amount of stormwater. Since then the project team has worked on draining this excess water off the site, with approximately 700,000 litres removed to date.
• This work has now been completed, Council and its contractor are thoroughly assessing the site to determine any damage which may need rectification.
• Council is in receipt of a Clean up notice from the EPA, most of the actions required by the Clean Up Notice are already being undertaken and Council is working closely with the EPA on resolving this matter. View EPA Clean-up Action notice(PDF, 199KB).
• Council has engaged an independent sediment and erosion control specialist to assist with this.
• Additional water quality testing is being undertaken to monitor the water quality in of Quarry Creek. View water quality results here.
• It is expected that the water quality will improve with the installation of the gross pollutant traps (GPT) as part of the project.

At this stage, the delay to the project’s completion is yet to be determined. Early indications are that this delay may be significant and will be quantified once the project team has assessed the impacts of the water inundation. 

As a result, the current completion date of July 2024 is unlikely to be achieved. The project team is working hard to identify areas where project milestones can be accelerated to minimise the delay. 

Work is progressing where it’s safe and practical to do so, including the repair of a large stormwater pipe and fencing installation. The next stage of work will be the installation of the concrete plinths around the field.  

Council continues to work with the EPA on cleaning the site and its surroundings, ensuring the site is managed in accordance with approved environmental management controls and any other EPA requirements.