Cost blow-out sinks Murray Bridge basketball stadium plan

Murray Bridge will not get a new basketball stadium after all – not yet, anyway.

The city’s council announced on Tuesday that it had shelved a plan to build a $3.9 million show court alongside existing facilities at Murray Bridge Showground.

The council had secured $1.9 million in federal funding in 2021, and $1.5 million from the state government last year.

However, by the time it was ready to go to tender, the project’s cost had already blown out beyond the available budget.

None of the construction companies who pitched for the work was able to return a quote for less than $3.9 million.

In a statement, the council said it had exhausted all alternative options over the past 11 months.

It considered seeking more money or time, or planning for a smaller version of the new facility.

Ultimately, though, Mayor Wayne Thorley said, the council had decided to put the project on the backburner rather than burning up additional ratepayer funds.

“Council must be financially responsible, operate within set budget limits and not overburden the community with unsustainable programs at the expense of other agreed and approved business plan projects,” he said.

The council will forego the $1.9 million federal funding, which had been due to expire, and go back to the drawing board.

The basketball stadium project had been on the go since 2019, when a master plan highlighted numerous problems with the current courts, from safety issues to a lack of air conditioning, change rooms and showers.

Only a few of those issues have since been fixed.

Murray Bridge News will seek comment from Murray Bridge Basketball Association.

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