TAMWORTH Regional Council voted in favour of extending the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service base in Westdale at its first meeting on Tuesday night.
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The expansion will provide a more “functional facility” for the base, but rents will rise for the partly community-funded service to the tune of $2000 in return for the expansion.
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter base at Tamworth will get an a 560-square metre expansion to its facilities.
WRHS general manager Richard Jones told The Leader the expansion would make the base more “functional”, but the extension will come at a cost to the base’s lease fee.
The chopper service currently pays $28,876.36 rent on its airport base. The rate will rise by more than seven per cent, or $2036.08 plus GST.
The land area of the base will be increased by 560-square metres along the northern boundary of the lot on the condition that the rent is increased on a pro-rata basis to $30,912.44.
Mr Jones said the fee rise would be well within the service’s capacity.
“The service is funded about 50 per cent by the government,” he said.
“The government will cover a significant amount.
“For us to continue to run, we will need to maintain our current fundraising efforts.”
In 2014, NSW Health and NSW Ambulance commenced an open tender for the two helicopter facilities in Newcastle and Tamworth. The Westpac service won the contract in December 2014.
The contract expands services to 24 hour a day and new AW139 helicopters online from next year.
As part of the contract, the service is required to expand their training facilities for staff at the base.
“It will include improved facilities for staff, particularly the medical staff, the paramedics and doctors,” Mr Jones said.
The service general manager was confident council would give the expansion the green-light and said they have already been looking at the project plans.
“We’ve already been looking builders for the job, we don’t have the luxury of waiting,” Mr Jones said.