Cobar Shire Councillors have voted to provide another cash boost for COOSH, Cobar’s Out Of School Hours care service.
The matter was discussed at last Thursday’s June Ordinary Council Meeting, with councillors approving an additional $140,000 from the 2025/2026 budget.
The funding will complete external works associated with transforming the former Kubby House Long Day Childcare Centre in Bourke Street into COOSH’s new home.
Cobar Shire received $844,340 through the NSW Government’s Western NSW Workforce Activation Program (WWAP) to remodel the former child care centre into a fit-for-purpose after-school care service.
However, after the design process was completed and construction tenders received, the available funding proved insufficient.
Money originally allocated for the playground and landscaping was redirected to the building works, while unforeseen structural issues with the roof further increased costs.
Cr Chris Deighton said he was “in two minds as to whether we should just keep throwing money at these things”.
“A lot of Council project costings are running over and we just keep handing over money, over and over,” Cr Deighton said.
“That would be a million dollars for one building, which is no different to a house.”
He suggested reducing the scope of works and delaying the replacement of the fencing.
Deputy Mayor Michael Prince said one of the biggest challenges with grant-funded projects was the time lag between preparing budgets and receiving funding, with construction costs often increasing during that period.
Cr Lillian Simpson asked whether the fencing needed to be upgraded to meet licensing requirements and was advised it formed part of Council’s duty of care.
Cr Miranda Fry questioned whether the COOSH service was profitable and was advised it formed part of Council’s children’s services, including the Early Learning Centre, which is forecast to record a small loss this financial year.
