Greater Shepparton City Council unanimously voted to award the contract for stage one to BMD Constructions Pty Ltd for a total of $21,326,135.09 during the March council meeting.
GV Link is a planned enterprise park located south of Mooroopna at 250 Toolamba Rd, with stage one of the contracting seeing the development of the first four-lot subdivision of the site, including a roundabout upgrade at the intersection of Toolamba and Simson Rds.
Mayor Shane Sali recognised the long journey it took to get to this moment in the March council meeting.
“GV Link is a journey that has been going for over 30 years, with multiple councils involved to get here today,” he said.
“GV Link was identified as a critical project for the region and one which I am pleased to now see resolved, and a way forward decided upon.
“Progressing GV Link and awarding the contract for stage one shows that Greater Shepparton is well and truly open for business.”
BMD Constructions operates within the Goulburn Valley, with a regional office in Echuca, and has noted that the majority of project staff, materials and resources will come from within Greater Shepparton.
“It’s always pleasing when contracts get awarded that they go to local business as well,” Cr Sali said.
“That way we can ensure the jobs stay local, the investment that we’re making on behalf of our community stays local, and I’m sure they’ll be really excited and proud to be able to help us deliver stage one of the GV Link.”
Cr Sam Spinks spoke for the motion, saying that this was “possibly the largest decision” they may make as a council over the next four years.
“We have approached this from every direction to make this as risk-free as we possibly can while also acknowledging again that this is such an incredibly large project,” she said.
“We will be watching this diligently over the next 12 months while construction is under way.
“We know there will be angst in the community and impacts in the community, and we will be doing everything we can to minimise that, and ... we will continue to make sure this project has the best outcomes for the community at its heart all the way along.”
Cr Paul Wickham also spoke for the motion, saying he was looking forward to seeing works begin.
“I acknowledge the great benefit that GV Link will bring to Greater Shepparton by unlocking parcels of land for industry, logistics and manufacturing,” he said.
“The project will encourage large-scale commercial investment within Greater Shepparton.
“I would also like to recognise the contribution of the former mayor Geoff Dobson, former deputy mayor Kevin Ryan, all previous councillors and previous council who have been involved over the years in bringing this project to fruition.”
Regarding part of the first stage, the development of the first four-lot subdivision of the site, Cr Sali said businesses were already engaging with those sites.
“Out of the four lots, there’s two that will be distribution warehouses; manufacturing, distillery and bottling, and distribution, warehouse and manufacturing,” he said.
“We have got a clear expectation on making sure that we have businesses that come and complement our region.
“So it’s an opportunity for local businesses who have got multiple sites to consolidate and have a large site and also attract national and international businesses here.”
GV Link has always been a long-term strategic goal for council, with the project expected to generate significant economic benefits, including the creation of hundreds of construction and ongoing jobs, and attracting large-scale commercial investments over the next two decades.
Stage one has been funded by $9.6 million from the Federal Government, including $1.1 million through the Local Roads Community Infrastructure Program and the $8.5 million that was announced in February through repurposed rail freight funding.
Council has also committed $14.4 million to this project.
Cr Sali said more announcements on starting dates and community consultation would be coming soon.
“Works will start over the course of the next two to three months, with a completion date intended to be before the end of the year,” he said.
For more information on GV Link, go to tinyurl.com/2s42b9f7
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