Longwarry should be works priority
$43 million projects identified
A councillor has likened Longwarry Recreation Reserve to “an old pair of boots that needs replacing” during a review of masterplans for four local sporting reserves.
Crs Keith Cook and Tricia Jones shined a light on the desperate need for works at Longwarry - the fourth largest town in Baw Baw Shire - during a recent council meeting.
The adoption of the crown recreation reserve masterplan review also was used by Cr Peter Kostos to question when storm damage at Thorpdale Recreation Reserve would be addressed.
The review updated masterplans for Darnum, Longwarry, Thorpdale and Willow Grove reserves, all located on state government-owned land.
It considered the status of listed projects, current participation data, sporting code requirements, new changes/pressures and government focus areas.
An officer report stated consultation workshops were held with key stakeholders in June to August 2023, followed by a draft report for public consultation.
It attracted 42 submissions - four for Darnum, 16 for Longwarry, 17 for Thorpdale and three for Willow Grove as well as one relating to both Thorpdale and Willow Grove. One further submission was for an unrelated site.
The report also highlighted that $3.18 million in projects had been delivered, including a new netball and umpires pavilion, new toilet block and new lighting at Darnum; new oval lighting and scoreboard at Longwarry; new oval lighting and cricket net renewal at Thorpdale; and, new netball/tennis pavilion, new playground and irrigation project at Willow Grove.
A further $1.49 million in projects are in progress, including designs of two pavilions at Longwarry and development of netball and tennis courts at Willow Grove.
Cr Darren Wallace said the masterplans were created from the ground up by council officers and were full of great projects.
Cr Wallace said the $4.5 million in projects delivered or in the process represented “great work so far given our budget constraints.”
But, with $43 million of future projects identified across these four reserves, he stated “council simply doesn’t have the funds to develop these state government sites.”
“The state government need to come to the table and fund the majority of infrastructure renewal and creation on these sites,” Cr Wallace said. “We need to be prioritising our own sites first.”
Cr Michael Leaney said he was reluctant to see user groups disadvantaged for being located on a Crown site.
“It’s a growing challenge to provide facilities for our community overall, let alone at places we don’t actually own,” Cr Leaney said.
He noted a lot of infrastructure was built by local clubs in the 1980s and were “time expired” with female friendly facilities required.
“Certainly there needs to be a strong message put back to the state about who is going to actually fund this going forward,” Cr Leaney said. “While we have been lucky, and $5 million of investment has gone into these reserves, it is a drop in the ocean to what really needs to happen to bring them up to a standard for our growing community.”
Cr Keith Cook said the masterplan process had been “spot on” and “allowed everyone to have their say”.
“We now have a plan to show us the way to move forward into the future,” Cr Cook said.
“But I can’t get over the work that is still required at Longwarry,” he highlighted. “There’s so much to be done.”
He said Willow Grove reserve had gained 53 per cent of funding available despite having a population of 650 people. Whereas, Longwarry with its population of 2800 people, had received only 6.4 per cent.
“Compared with the other reserves, you would say that Longwarry is like an old pair of boots that needs replacing,” Cr Cook said. “Funding is the concern and it needs to be spent in Longwarry.”
Cr Tricia Jones said good facilities were an incentive to participate in sport, in turn building stronger, healthier, safer and happier communities.
Whilst expressing gratitude for projects completed or funded, Cr Jones said Longwarry Recreation Reserve “desperately needs better facilities for players, for umpires and spectators”.
“Clearly council needs to have the financial support from state government and other funding bodies to deliver these projects,” she said..
Cr Peter Kostos recognised the money already spent on the reserves but noted more was required.
In particular, Cr Kostos said Thorpdale Potato Festival had injected “quite a large amount of money” to the Thorpdale reserve.
“Given the damage that has been done to the reserve in the recent storm and the state government do not insure their properties, I’m wondering when all of this is going to be fixed up and how it’s going to happen,” he said.