Relief on the way? $2.1m upgrade of council child care centre flagged

The waiting list for a child care place in Warrnambool has ballooned to 380 in recent times with families told they face a two-year wait.

The proposed upgrade to the Matron Swinton Early Learning Centre in west Warrnambool would bring an extra 33 child care places to Warrnambool.

The upgrade would also include a new community hub and multipurpose room suitable for maternal child health consultations.

The project is listed in the council's draft budget which is set to go before Monday's meeting before it goes out for public consultation.

According to budget papers, the project is funded via a $1.5 million grant with the council also tipping in $600,000.

News of the upgrade come as plans for a privately run new 148-place childcare centre on the corner of Aberline Road is currently out for tender.

The new Bright Start Childcare Centre could open its doors by September next year if the cost of construction for the scaled-back facility come in on budget.

The proponents adjusted the bulk of the design for the project after initial costs came in way over budget.

The council's Matron Swinton project is included in a proposed $27.9 million capital works program for the city.

About $17.5 million of that is for new projects with $9 million going towards renewing council roads, bridges, footpaths and buildings.

Other projects included in the capital works budget is $1.5 million towards the redevelopment of recreation facilities at Walter Oval.

About $700,000 will go towards an upgrade of the flooring at the Val Bertrand Netball Stadium, and the irrigation at Friendly Societies Park will get a $350,000 upgrade.

The council will also allocate funding to do a detailed business case for a revamp of the aquatic centre.

A staged redevelopment of the AquaZone site is on the drawing board for Warrnambool rather than moving to a greenfields site.