Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison and City of Ballarat Mayor, Councillor Daniel Moloney have marked the start of construction for the Lake Wendouree and Victoria Park Link Lighting project.
The works will install 225 light poles and fittings around the Steve Moneghetti Track and seven light poles and fittings along Morrison Street, which will light a route from Lake Wendouree to nearby Victoria Park.
The $3,170,000 project is jointly funded by the State Government ($2,500,000) and the City of Ballarat ($670,000).
Works began in September with the removal of five non-native trees along Morrison Street to prepare for the installation of lights. An independent arborist report, completed in March 2021, found that the trees had long-term structural issues.
Further preliminary works, including working with project arborists and planning for underground electrical services, will take place over the next few weeks with underground boring expected to start in November.
Works are expected to be completed by mid-2023. Construction timeframes will be dependent on the availability of materials, transport timeframes and weather conditions during construction.
Lake Wendouree will remain accessible to walkers and runners with detours put in place where required. Works will predominantly take place within the confines of the Steve Moneghetti Track and either side of it.
City of Ballarat Mayor, Councillor Daniel Moloney said the lake lighting project will provide a safer environment for the lake’s 350,000+ annual users, particularly after-hours and during winter months.
“We are thrilled to be getting on with the delivery of lighting the lake so that residents will be able to make use of our most popular recreational location for a few extra hours each day,” he said.
“Lake lighting was identified as the number one priority in the City of Ballarat’s Lake Wendouree Master Plan in 2017 following extensive community and local resident engagement.
“The project will create a safer and more accessible environment for our community who use the lake for health and recreation, particularly in the early mornings, evenings, and during the winter months.”
Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison said, “I welcome the start of works for this important community project that will deliver benefits for our rowers, our runners, and our recreational users”.
“Lake lighting will benefit the Loreto rowers carrying their boats across to the Lake before dawn and people wanting to get some exercise after work on dark winter evenings when the sun sets at 5.30pm,” she said.
“These lighting and safety upgrades around the Steve Moneghetti track will encourage more people to get active and enjoy beautiful Lake Wendouree, all year round.”
The City of Ballarat has informed nearby schools, boat shed owners, lease holders, rowing clubs and other stakeholders of the works.
Regional contractor DeAraugo and Lea Electrical has been appointed to deliver the project and will utilise local sub-contractors.
The City of Ballarat will work with the contractor to protect and maintain the health of trees and wildlife during the construction and once the lake lighting is operational.
The project will be delivered via underground boring for electrical conduits to a depth of one metre to reduce the impact on tree root systems and minimise surface disruption. This method was recommended by an independent Arborist report and supported by the City of Ballarat’s arborist team.
The works will be guided by a project arborist and will comply with Tree Protection Zones and Structural Root Zones, in accordance with the Australian Standard 4970 Protection of Trees on Development Sites.
The smart, energy-efficient LED lake lighting will be fully programmable to carefully manage the hours of operation. The lights will turn off at 10pm each night and turn on each morning at 5.30am. The lights will then turn off in the morning via a sensor in the light fitting that measures the level of natural light.
The lighting design incorporates low spill LED fittings to limit any spill and glare beyond and either side of the path. The lighting spill meets the requirements under the Australian Standard 1158.3.1:2020 Category PP3 for Public Lighting, and the Ligman light fittings selected for the project are accredited by the International Dark-sky Association.
The lights will also be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy after the City of Ballarat joined 45 other councils in signing the Victorian Energy Collaboration (VECO) Power Purchase Agreement.
Construction will be programmed to accommodate major events, such as SpringFest, Ballarat Begonia Festival, and major rowing and athletic events to minimise disruption.
