RESIDENTS are unlikely to see a massive overhaul of Centennial Park for years.
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Bathurst Regional Council last week adopted the landscape design for the park, but not without a series of questions from councillors about the timeline for the project.
In a report from the director of Engineering Services, Darren Sturgiss, it was stated that the timing of the landscape upgrade would "depend on the provision of sufficient funding for future construction purposes".
The anticipated construction cost of the design is in the vicinity of $4.4 million, a figure that could see it takes years to achieve any progress.
Cr North said that council had to consider how to balance Centennial Park with other projects that had been sitting on the back burner.
"We have a massive backlog of infrastructure that we need to get right," he said.
"This is something we need to do in the future and we should be working our butts off to get state and federal funding to get there, because we've got some major roads infrastructure to fix up around this region."
Several councillors wondered whether the work could be staged, given the high cost of the project.
"I had a lot of time at Centennial Park [growing up] and they've been waiting for ages for incorporation of the irrigation system and more trees," deputy mayor Bobby Bourke said.
"I think we should stage it and show people that we are doing something, or they are going to be waiting another two, three or four years before we find funds."
He had the support of Cr Monica Morse, but the Engineering Services director said staging was unlikely to be feasible.
"With the design concept that's on the table at the moment, the ability to stage it would be limited with the earthworks and overall work that needs to be done," Mr Sturgiss said.
"It would be far better, and my recommendation is, to do it at once, and that way it would certainly be more effective and more efficient in terms of dollars spent."
Cr Morse has suggested that council set money aside in its budget over a number of years that could be put towards the project in the future.
Centennial Park became a talking point in Bathurst after the Friends of Centennial Park Group stepped up its campaign for it to be retained as green space.
The landscape design adopted by council includes a new children's playground area, designated picnic area, fitness equipment, a gazebo, more trees and a full irrigation system. Existing trees will remain in place.
