Damage caused during the huge storm which hit the Illawarra coast almost two years ago has this week cost Wollongong City Council more than $1.3 million.
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On Tuesday night, councillors voted to approve two tenders relating to damage from the notorious June 2016 east coast low.
One, for a second round of repair works at Coalcliff Beach will cost $923,000 excluding GST, while a project to fix the embankment at Wollongong’s Belmore Basin will cost just over $350,000.
According to a report to councillors, the wild weather two winters ago caused “significant erosion” and instability of the Coalcliff beach embankment.
The nearby surf life saving club was also threatened with destabilisation.
Already, the council has attempted to fix these problems, but further erosion has continued to threaten the stability of the beach and buildings, the council said.
The new project, which councillors agreed to award to Unanderra company Dynamic Civil, will include excavation, construction of a new sandbag wall, removal of contaminated material and landscaping of the new and existing seawall.
Dynamic Civil scored the highest of eight companies which put in a bid for the project.
At Belmore Basin during the 2016 storm, the huge seas caused by the combination of the east coast low and king tides meant the ocean rose to completely cover the beach, right up to the boardwalk.
This led to damage to the beach embankment and garden beds, which have been left covered with sand for the past 21 months.
To restore the area, and provide protection should a future storm hit the area, the council has proposed constructing a new concrete garden wall as part of the repair works.
Four companies bid for the project, with Growth Civil Landscapes scoring the best according to a council staff assessment.
These works are scheduled to begin in late April.
Other parts of the harbour which were damaged in the June 2016 storm are being carried out by the NSW Government.
Tenders to repair the 1880s convict-built seawall which was pushed down by the king tide closed in March.
Other contracts awarded:
- An $820,000 tender to refurbish the office and amenities building at Western Suburbs pool, which has remained unchanged since 1977.
- A contract for $1,019,000 worth of works at Wombarra pool, which the council says in in desperate need of repair.
- $146,000 for the replacement of a retaining wall at 27-33 The Parkway, Balgownie.