New pavilion boosts Trafalgar precinct

Construction of a new $2.8 million pavilion for the Trafalgar recreation precinct is set to begin.

Baw Baw Shire awarded a contract to Kubale Constructions for a long awaited multi-use pavilion that will serve soccer, football, cricket and the Trafalgar boxing gym.

Earthworks have been undertaken at the site ready for construction to begin.

The Trafalgar Victory Football Club has lobbied council for a number of years to establish a new pavilion that would cater for its growing members list.

While the club currently uses a temporary facility at the site, players and visiting teams members had to use their cars to get changed before and after games.

Councill officers said the existing boxing gym was in poor condition and had reached the end of its life. The existing boxing gym will be demolished when the new pavilion is completed.

The pavilion will provide four female-friendly change rooms and amenities for soccer, two change rooms and amenities for football and cricket, four umpire rooms, a boxing gym, timekeeper’s room, first aid room and storage area.

A multi-use space also is included in the new building.

Externally the pavilion will feature public toilets, a veranda with outdoor spectator viewing space, a canteen, accessible car parking, connecting pathways and landscaping.

Officers said the design was developed as a true multi-use facility to service the five sporting clubs from different codes including soccer, cricket, football and boxing.

Works on site are expected to begin on January 18 with the building works expected to be completed by the end of October next year.

Temporary changing facilities will remain on site until the project is complete.

Council established a project reference group for the project to enable important stakeholder input and ensure the new pavilion meets user group and community needs.

The project is primarily being funded by council funds, with $500,000 from Sport and Recreation Victoria.

Council originally allocated $3.2 million for the project. Savings of $433,000 will be redirected to the Longwarry early learning centre upgrade.

Cr Darren Wallace said the Trafalgar recreation precinct had “so much untapped potential” and was a true greenfield site.

He said the lack of facilities on this site had held back the soccer club. “With no basic amenities it has held the club back in attracting top quality players,” he said.

Cr Wallace said the lack of a pavilion also players and members were missing out on the social benefits of the sport. “The real benefits of sport happen before and after the game.”

Cr Peter Kostos said the project was a great outcome for the sporting clubs who support this facility, and the wider Trafalgar community.

Cr Michael Leaney said one of the first phone calls he received when he was elected in 2016 was from the Trafalgar Victory Football Club.

He said facility used by the club couldn’t even be called a “chook shed – it’s an absolute shocker.”

“This is something the community has been asking for. It’s one of the best pitches in Gippsland yet it had nonexistent facilities beside it.

“This project will deliver the infrastructure our community desperately needs.

“This project benefits both our local players and those who travel from Melbourne and the wider Gippsland region for football games, providing them with great facilities so they can focus on the game,” he said.

Cr Tricia Jones said the lack of facilities at the Trafalgar soccer pitch was an embarrassment and it was a similar story at Bellbird Park in Drouin that also needed new facilities.