Harvey Shire delays vote on Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault clubrooms again over lighting costs

The lease of a South West sporting club’s home base remains in limbo over who would pay for lighting costs.

A vote on the Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault Football Club’s new agreement was delayed again, with the club operating without a lease over its Brunswick Oval headquarters since April last year.

The Shire of Harvey originally planned to renew the agreement in January, but a proposal to make the club pay an estimated $320,000 over 20 years towards future oval lighting replacement caused discontent. As a result the council changed its community lease policy to omit the requirement at last month’s meeting.

The council was supposed to approve its new lease at the May 23 meeting, but the matter has now been delayed until June after lighting again became an issue — this time over the cost of running it.

Former HBL president and councillor Craig Carbone moved the motion for the delay, stating, under the contract as it stood, the club would be required to pay for electricity for not only lighting at Brunswick Oval but also the nearby skatepark and carpark.

Under the draft lease, HBL would have 20 per cent of those electricity costs reimbursed.

However, Cr Carbone said it would be better for a uniform policy relating to lighting costs to be developed across the entire Shire to ensure equity.

“I think a policy needs to be developed as far as lighting and cost goes that’s uniform across the whole Shire — it needs to be dealt with as a separate issue,” he said.

“As far as this lease agreement goes, which is strictly to do with the building as outlined in the plan with the line drawn around it, any cost as far as electricity goes relates purely to the build.”

The move to delay the vote was passed unaminously.

Speaking after the meeting, Harvey Shire president Paul Gillett said he was confident an agreement would be reached at the next meeting.

“I think it will be approved next month and everyone will be happy with the agreement,” he said.

“We will meet with (the club) in the coming days and see what their issues are. I imagine the final agreement will be similar to what has recently been put in place for the Harvey Bulls.”