Golden Plains Shire Council welcomes today’s announcement that the Victorian Government will contribute $250,000 towards the Lethbridge Lighting and Irrigation project.
Mayor Cr Owen Sharkey and members of the Lethbridge Junior Football and Lethbridge Cricket Club joined Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle MP, who made the announcement at Lethbridge Recreation Reserve this morning. The funding comes from the Victorian Government’s Local Sport Infrastructure Fund, following the successful grant application from Council.
The Lethbridge Lighting and Irrigation project is expected to cost $450,000, and involves the installation of four new lighting towers at Lethbridge Recreation Reserve and a subsurface irrigation system. The project will deliver a quality community sport facility catering for junior sport in Lethbridge, with the new lighting to AFL training standards (50 lux) enabling the increased use of the facility, as well as provide further opportunities for quality physical activity for children in the township.
The subsurface irrigation works will address safety issues for users, through improving the current surface condition of the oval. These works include the installation of an automatic irrigation system, tanks and pumps.
Golden Plains Shire Council has lobbied State and Federal Governments for investment in the Lethbridge Lighting and Irrigation project. Council led the way with $100,000 committed to this project its 2019/20 Budget and last year, the Federal Government made a $100,000 commitment to the project as part of its election pledges. Today’s announcement by the State Government ensures full funding of the project with investment from all three tiers of government.
Mayor Cr Owen Sharkey welcomed today’s funding announcement from the Victorian Government, and looks forward to work getting underway to deliver this valuable local project.
“The Lethbridge community have strongly advocated for new lighting and irrigation on its local reserve and we are so pleased to welcome the final piece of funding from the State Government to make this project a reality.”
“We often say that community sport is the lifeblood of our small towns and this has been proven more and more during the COVID-19 pandemic. This winter, many hundreds of junior and senior players across Golden Plains Shire are missing playing their games and we all miss cheering on our local teams.”
“We all look forward to the day our community sports return and in Lethbridge, we are excited for the Rosellas – the Lethbridge Junior Football and Lethbridge Cricket Club players - to be able to train at night, and for all local residents who will enjoy the green space under lights to play with their children or take the dog for a walk in the evening.”
Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle MP says the State Government is proud to make its latest commitment to sport and recreation facilities in Golden Plains Shire.
“Congratulations to Lethbridge football and cricket clubs – this boost will go a long way to supporting locals keen to get involved in sport and recreation.”
“It’s a great example of how the Victorian Government is working with councils to make sport and recreation more accessible, welcoming and inclusive.”
In the past few years, Golden Plains Shire Council has actively lobbied for and delivered sports lighting upgrades across the Shire. This year, the new lights at Rokewood Recreation Reserve, as well as the new and upgraded lights on both Victoria Park ovals in Bannockburn were switched on. In 2019, the lighting upgrade at the Linton Recreation Reserve was completed and in Inverleigh local sporting clubs have enjoyed the new lights at the Inverleigh Sporting Complex since early 2018.
Pictured above are (left to right, back row) Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle MP; Sharon Boyd, Secretary of the Lethbridge Recreation Reserve Committee of Management and Lethbridge Junior Football Club; Mayor Cr Owen Sharkey; and (left to right, front row) Jaydan Corbett of Lethbridge Junior Football Club, Matthew Boyd of the Lethbridge Cricket Club, Evie Bounds of the Lethbridge Junior Football Club.