Sports clubs lobby for new facilities

Sporting clubs from across the shire were amongst organisations seeking budget funds from Baw Baw Shire last week, with Yarragon’s Dowton Park among recreation facilities desperately needing overdue improvements.

Council last week held a special meeting to hear submissions in relation to its draft 2022/23 budget.

Recreation facility improvements were on the wish list for a number of sporting clubs across the shire when they sought funding for projects ranging from design and planning work to upgrades and new cricket nets.

Ross Follett told council he had been president of the Dowton Park committee of management for 22 years and new facilities had been a priority throughout that time.

A submission to council said it was very disappointing a full upgrade of the clubrooms had not been included in council’s budget.

“The clubrooms, particularly the change rooms are in such a state of disrepair and this is jeopardising the user groups’ ability to attract new members to their clubs.

“This is a project of significance that will provide major benefits to current and future generations,” the submission said.

Mr Follett said user groups had worked together to establish designs and costings to allow the project to move to the next stage.

If council showed a commitment to the works, the committee of management said it would lobby other parties to secure funds.

Mr Follett said basic facility needs such as toilets, showers and ambulance access were all “sub-standard.”

“The facilities built over 50 years ago by volunteers of the town are desperately in need of an upgrade.

“The oval is a great facility. We have schools, clubs and other leagues that contact us to use the oval. But the rooms don’t match the oval facilities. This would be the final link,” he said.

It was a similar request from Thorpdale Football and Netball Club secretary Jessica Hotchkin who requested council allocate funding to undertake plan and design works for a pavilion upgrade and add the project to council’s long term infrastructure plan.

Ms Hotchkin said the existing clubrooms, built in 1987, were outdated, non-compliant and not up to 21st century standards.

She said community funds were raised to build the current pavilion- that served a number of user groups at the recreation reserve.

Ms Hotchkin said it was a community used facility for the school, community events and social functions.

She said the pavilion upgrade had been highlighted as a priority in the 2016 recreation masterplan.

“But now we have reached our current limit and there are many failings,” she said, identifying inadequate toilets, non-compliant changerooms for women and accessibility issues as key problem areas.

Ms Hotchkin said the kitchen also was outdated an d the verandah and upright poles were rusting.

“It’s not a modern facility at all in terms of its practicality.

We hope in this year’s budget council can allocate funds for design works which is the first stage in upgrading this community facility,” she said.

Adam Sheehan of Neerim District Junior Football Club said the club wanted to field an all girls football team in the West Gippsland Junior Football League.

To achieve this, he said the club needed to overcome some of the challenges it faces without dedicated female change facilities.

He said the club currently had girls playing in other leagues but the club wanted to enhance their opportunity for participation.

Mr Sheehan said female friendly facilities wouldn’t be exclusive to football and would be used by tennis, cricket and netball clubs also at the reserve.

Willow Grove Cricket Club’s Jay van der Stoep asked council to fund the replacement of old unsafe cricket training nets at the recreation reserve.

He said existing nets were old, had deteriorated and were no longer sufficient or safe.

Mr van der Stoep said the club’s membership had increased 300 per cent with significant growth in junior and senior levels.

He said the existing training nets did not meet Cricket Victoria requirements and were located too far away from toilet and changeroom facilities.

Cr Joe Gauci said the masterplan for the Willow Grove recreation precinct was being reviewed this year and encouraged the club to raise the training nets as a priority during that process.

“To take it as an isolated project wouldn’t help with the overall development of the