Council welcomes Esther Park pavilion funding
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The Esther Park Community Sports Pavilion upgrade in Mooroolbark has been fully funded, thanks to a significant funding announcement from Federal Member for Casey, Tony Smith MP.
On Saturday, 30 March, Mr Smith announced $1 million in funding to finish off the $2.4m project.
Yarra Ranges Mayor, Tony Stevenson, welcomed the funding, which he said would provide much-needed upgrades for sporting clubs in the area.
“Sporting clubs are a vital part of any town, and I think we’d all know someone involved in their local clubs, whether it’s a friend, a neighbour or a family member,” Cr Stevenson said.
“For any sporting club, having good grounds and facilities is essential for giving your players the best experience and attracting new members.
“The changing rooms at Esther Park will be able to be used by all genders and will be fully compliant to Australian disability standards – something we’ve had a strong focus on with our pavilion redevelopments across Yarra Ranges.
“As a result, clubs will be able to promote their female teams more widely now that inclusive facilities are on the way, and promote smaller junior teams that may have been mixed before.
“I’d like to thank Mr Smith for delivering this funding. With this support from the Federal Government, this project is ready to move to the next stage.”
“It’s important to note that this funding is not tied to the upcoming election, meaning sporting clubs will have certainty that this project is going ahead, regardless of the result in May.” The Community Sports Pavilion upgrade will complement the Esther Park synthetic soccer pitch, which has received funding support from the State Government’s Growing Suburbs Fund. “Once both the pavilion and the synthetic soccer pitch are completed, the area will be completely revitalised and a drawcard for local sporting athletes from across Yarra Ranges and beyond, who will come to play there,” Cr Stevenson said.
The Esther Park sporting pavilion project has now received $1m from the Federal Government and $500,000 from the State Government’s Female Friendly Facilities Fund, with Council funding the remainder of the project cost.