They’ve been labelled dull, boring and akin to a prison yard floor and now Crown Street Mall’s controversial grey pavers are going to cost ratepayers almost $400,000 to keep clean.
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And that’s just for the next two years.
Next week, Wollongong councillors will debate a recommendation advising them to accept a tender for $366,808 – not including GST – to clean the granite tiles.
Staff say the cleaning bill is necessary for “aesthetic and operational” reasons.
“In order to maintain aesthetics and operational acceptability of the paver assets, the pavers need to be cleaned on a routine schedule,” the report, by acting city works and services manager Troy Subotic said.
The council had previously budgeted $300,000 in the 2015/16 budget for cleaning and resealing the pavers.
In a report to be considered at next week’s meeting, Mr Subotic recommended councillors give general manager David Farmer the authority to sign off on a tender from Roadworx Surfacing Pty Ltd.
Roadworx is a Unanderra-based company and was ranked first of seven businesses who put in a tender to do the cleaning works.
The company had “satisfied the tender assessment panel that it is capable of undertaking the works to [the] council’s standards and in accordance with the technical specification”.
If approved, the tender will be paid for through an existing fund dedicated to cleaning the tiles: the “Cleaning of City Mall And Keira Street Pavers” cost centre.
The pavers – which now cover many of the city’s streets including Keira Street – have caused a fuss in the past. For instance, during the mall refurbishment, some of the first-laid tiles began to crack and lift in the summer sun, as they were not properly sealed.
A few months earlier, the partly-reopened mall was likened to a car park, cemetery and a scene from George Orwell's 1984, with the pavers taking much of the blame.
“Can't believe they spent all this money and time just to repave the area in GREY and add a few trees. Not impressed,” one commentator said.
However they were also praised for their clean and minimal appearance which allows the mall to be flexible for markets and other events.
Councillors will consider the cleaning bill on Monday.