IT'S been a long-time coming, but it's finally official: the Euroa saleyards is getting a roof.
Richard McGeehan, who is an executive on the Euroa saleyards committee, said tenders closed for construction of the roof earlier this month, and the successful tender - Don Newnham Engineering - was approved by the Strathbogie Shire at a council meeting on Tuesday night.
Councillor Mick Williams moved the motion, saying the project was a "huge investment for Euroa and its farming community".
The local contractor's tender bid came in just under budget at $454, 274, with the project fully funded by the Council's 2014-15 capital works budget.
The roof structure is expected to be erected over the yard's existing 112 pens and has been designed to maximise natural lighting, ventilation and sound attenuation. The design also comprises artificial lighting and the collection of rainwater for re-use.
Construction is expected to be carried out while maintaining access for regular cattle sales during construction period, and will be finished before Euroa's special feature cattle sales at the end of November.
"We are over the moon," Mr McGeehan said.
It's something the saleyards committee have been lobbying towards for three years now.
"I guess the real deal breaker was when the CEO Steve Crawcour put together a financial package and came to us with proposal. We got no money from State or Federal Governments."
In effect, Mr McGeehan said the council was giving the saleyards a loan against its future capacity to pay it back.
"Our main goal has always been for the yards to be self-sustainable and this is going to come out of the fees and charges," he said.
And while the deal has now been given the nod of approval, at one point the yard's future did look shaky.
Mr McGeehan said the original plan was to build the roof, plus an additional 60 pens. But the cost came in at $1 million.
"We had to go to plan B and that was to just build the roof," he said.
"Our number one priority was to always build the roof."
Although he was still concerned up until the last minute that the new tender bids would be "outrageous", he was happy the project would be constructed under budget.
While the Euroa yards led the charge in animal welfare standards - being one of the first yards to build a soft-standing floor, Mr McGeehan said it was vital the new roof had now been approved to maintain these standards.
In the past 12 months, the selling centre had to postpone cattle sales on days that were expected to reach 40 degrees.
"Those OHS and animal welfare issues will now be dealt with," he said. "Everybody is feeling positive and upbeat."
Russell Mawson, of Landmark Euroa, agreed, adding the new roof would be a great thing for Euroa and the livestock industry.
"When you look at how wet it can get in the middle of winter, and the fact we had to postpone a sale in the extreme heat of summer, it is going to help balance those weather cycles," he said, adding it would be safer for people and animals.
"The roof is going to be big step forward."
A spokesperson from the Strathbogie Shire said construction would start "soon", with an exact commencement date to be revealed in the next couple of weeks.
