Stadium’s $20m blowout cause

THE cost of the Derwent Entertainment Centre redevelopment has risen by more than 40 per cent since initial estimates, but Tasmania JackJumpers officials are confident the venue will be ready for the club’s first game as early as October.

Tasmanian-based builder Vos Construction has been awarded the contract for the second and major construction stage after the first stage was completed late last year.

Premier Peter Gutwein said the cost had increased from initial estimates in early 2020, following the project going to tender — from $46m

to $66m. “This is due to a range of factors including the specialised nature of a major stadium development, the very tight project time frames and our buoyant construction market,’’ he said.

The state government will contribute a further $15m to take the total government spend to $56m, with NBL owner Larry Kestelman’s LK Group responsible for any further cost.

Mr Gutwein said 150 jobs would be created during the redevelopment, which would make the centre “one of the most contemporary entertainment venues in the Southern Hemisphere”.

“This is exciting, jobs are

going to be created and I am very pleased that Vos Construction, a local Tasmanian firm, is going to be taking this forward,’’ he said.

“I said last year we were going to build our way out of COVID and I mean it.”

Tasmania JackJumpers chief executive Simon Brookhouse said the stadium would be world-class. “Obviously it’s going to be our home, but this is an entertainment centre and we have a really bold vision to minimise the nonusage of the venue,’’ he said.

“We want to maximise the usage of it and make sure it’s used as often as possible for a variety of different things.”

Mr Brookhouse said the

stadium would be ready for the club’s inaugural game.

NBL seasons usually begin in October but the impact of COVID-19 pushed back the start of the current season, meaning the 2021-22 fixture start could be delayed. “It’s a tight project, there’s no doubt about that and the time constraints are really tough but we’ll get there,’’ Mr Brookhouse said.

“We’re working with the construction company to make sure we're on target for a normal start in early October.”

JackJumpers coach Scott Roth said the stadium would be a drawcard to attract bigname players to the team.