Brand-new female-friendly amenities, two new football fields and a new social room are just some of the features of a planned $3.1 million development of the Gordon Street Recreation Reserve.
CEO Dr Tim Harrison said Council has applied for two grants to fund the project – $2.65 million from the State Government’s Community Sport Infrastructure Stimulus Program and $300,000 from the Federal Government’s Local Road and Community Infrastructure Program.
Dr Harrison said Council has also committed $150,000 to the project.
“This is an exciting project that will provide the Ararat and district community with another premier sporting ground to complement the Alexandra Oval precinct,” he said.
“Council is really excited about the redevelopment as it will provide our community with more capabilities when it comes to sport and will help support the huge growth in women’s football in particular.”
The Gordon Street Recreation Reserve is a sports complex on the eastern side of Ararat that currently features an oval, a field previously used for hockey and an ageing changeroom / social room.
The facility was owned by the Department of Education and hosts the Chalambar Cricket Club and the St Andrews Cricket Club. Ararat Rural City Council purchased the reserve in 2017 to accommodate the growth in both men’s and women’s football in the region and to provide a facility for little athletics.
The redevelopment of the reserve will include:
- Creating two large football / soccer fields.
- Building female-friendly change facilities.
- Building a new change space and social room for cricket, football and soccer.
- Providing a new cricket oval including a turf wicket.
- Creating a multi-use space for little athletics.
Dr Harrison said the Gordon Street Redevelopment project will provide a range of community, sporting, social and economic benefits, which will support the growth of the Ararat region while sustaining communities and attracting new residents.
“It will be fantastic to have extra facilities for football, soccer and cricket, and provide newer facilities for other clubs such as little athletics. The project will stimulate the construction industry, providing jobs for locals and boosting lifestyle attraction.”
