AN ENTIRE Federal Government stimulus bonus of $544,000 will go to Wagga netball to fix the shoddy Wagga City Council- constructed courts laid at Equex Centre a decade ago.
The decision is a coup for Wagga netball and a burden for ratepayers who will fork out the difference between the $544,000 grant and the $1.2 million estimated cost of the project and has stirred tension among Wagga City councillors.
Some, including the mayor, think the "spirit" of the $544,000 federal community infrastructure boost was missed on Monday night when a majority of councillors voted in favour of spending the entire amount on a single project.
Ratepayers and Wagga Netball Association already footed a $1.4 million bill for the courts' construction 10 years ago.
And a Federal Government stimulus grant of $1.27 million earlier this year was used for infrastructure improvements that benefited communities across the Wagga Local Government Area and included $850,000 for an adventure playground at Wagga Botanic Gardens for families to enjoy.
Monday night's seemingly rushed decision, which went ahead without community consultation, was unlike the super-cautious Wagga City Council of the past year that has frustrated many over its inability to make decisions without the long and expensive master-planning process.
Mayor Kerry Pascoe said yesterday he was bound to support the decision of council but had had other projects in mind for the stimulus funding.
They included replacing ageing exercise equipment along the Willans Hill walking track and installing much-needed rubber soft-fall mats at Collins Park and Victory Memorial Gardens playgrounds, he said.
"Our initial funding from Kevin Rudd was $1.28 million and I believe it was excellent spending � we got the adventure playground, BMX track at Ladysmith, $50,000
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towards the men's shed, $40,000 for Mangoplah tennis courts among other things.
"With this second round of funding ... we basically should have spent it sharing it around the community."
Cr Pascoe said he supported the notion of the netball court's replacement however.
A council spokeswoman said yesterday that council had spent $55,000 on maintenence since 2001 when the courts complex officially opened.
The maintenence funding equates to about $5500 each year to keep in shape netball courts that support the sport of choice for more than 2000 Wagga Netball Association-registered players.
Councillor Rod Kendall, also deputy chair of council's infrastructure standing committee, supported the sole investment of the $544,000 stimulus bonus at Equex.
"If it were purely for maintenence, it wouldn't have my support but because it's for the construction of new courts, it does. We can go back and bang people on the head for something that didn't happen properly 10 years ago but it did happen. It does need to be fixed. So let's just do it and make sure it is done properly this time," Cr Kendall said.
"I don't think it's against the spirit of the funding � if it was, the Government would have put a limit on how much could be spent on one project but it didn't. And when we consider our future spends, we won't have to include the huge investment to fix the courts. It's basically a case of ripping them up and starting again."
Wagga Netball Association president Tamara Edmunds is thrilled by news of the courts' overhaul.
"The courts closest to Kooringal Road are the worst. Netball has had to be called off three times this year because of water pooling on the courts and potholes � these become such a hazard for players," Ms Edmunds said.
Wagga Netball Association had no plans to contribute to the cost of the project, she said.
Wagga City Council director of infrastructure Terry Dodd was scathing on Monday night in his assessment of the netball courts' vast problems.
"Everything that could go wrong has," he told councillors.
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