Firm hits City with wall writ

JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
A THIRD legal writ threatens to drag City of Greater Geelong into court.
Contractor Downer EDI and City of Greater Geelong confirmed the latest court action to the Independent.
The City contracted Downer EDI to build a seawall as part of an Eastern Beach redevelopment project.
A Downer EDI spokesperson said the company was unable to comment because the matter was before the courts.
City chief executive officer Stephen Griffin said council was “in discussion with its legal advisers with a view to contesting the claim”.
The City refused to comment publicly on the details of the writ, he said.
The $6 million Eastern Beach redevelopment included a new children’s pool shell, replacement of seawalls and a dive tower and stabilisation of an embankment.
Works finished in late 2011 but the seawall contract was completed almost a year ago, according to a sub-contractor who worked on the project.
Federal Government provided $3.1 million to the project.
Announcing the completion of works, the City said great care had been taken to stick closely to the original design and maintain the pool’s “historic and distinctive appearance”.
“This has been a time consuming but very worthwhile consideration.
“The renovation had been a large and complex project made more complex by the fact that the work had to be carried out in a challenging beach-side environment, and included periods when severe weather events had caused some unavoidable delays.”
The Downer EDI action follows the Independent revealing in January two personal injury writs against the City.
Drumcondra’s Dawn McKinnon is taking legal action against the City and Geelong Performing Arts Centre for leg injuries allegedly suffered when she slipped on wet pavement in October 2008.
Taylors Lakes’ Joseph Di Benedetto is suing the City for negligence, claiming to have suffered eye injuries when a child came down the Leisurelink waterslide and kicked him.