By MELISSA MEEHAN
Premier announces community centre’s final leg-up…
IT’S the final piece of the jigsaw.
After four long years, the Upwey Tecoma Community Recreational and Sporting Hub (UT CRASH) will become a reality.
On Thursday Premier Denis Napthine announced $500,000 in funding towards the $2.5 million project as he visited the Upwey Recreation Reserve.
Funding has already been provided by the community, Federal Government, Yarra Ranges Council and the Dandenong Ranges Bendigo Bank.
Steering committee members said they were overjoyed that they were finally given the last piece of funding needed to get the project off the ground.
“I know how important sport is to a local community,” Mr Napthine said.
“It presents opportunities for young people as well as giving them an introduction to volunteering.”
Mr Napthine said that the project would incorporate 25 groups, not all of them sporting, and that aspect helped the steering committee lock in funding.
The redevelopment will include new change rooms, showers and amenities, first aid and medical rooms, a gym, kitchens, a canteen and bar, a community activity room, an office area, meeting rooms and training rooms and a covered spectator area.
Steering committee members Andrew Peterson and Andrew Fulgar attended the announcement and were excited about the future.
“We’ve had a lot of support on this project,” Mr Fulgar said.
“It’s really the missing piece.”
Mr Peterson said the facility would be something that everyone in the community could use.
“Often with sports facilities, they are used all weekend and week nights but sit dormant during weekdays,” he said.
“This facility will be utilised during the day, whether it is by Probus clubs or the local school – it will be used every day.”
He said the Dandenong Ranges Bendigo Bank played a major role in getting the idea off the ground.
“We came together with this big pie in the sky idea and were going to people cap in hand,” he said.
“But we needed credibility and then the bank got on board and provided $250,000 and from there people were really interested.”
Mr Fulgar said the project had already brought the community closer together.
“We’re all from different walks of life, Andrew is from the sporting club, I’m from the community,” he said.
“We’ve both even found clubs that neither of us knew existed.”
The announcement is fully funded and is not an election promise.
Works are due to begin in mid-2015 and are expected to be completed by 2016.
