THE long-running saga surrounding a multi-million-dollar upgrade of Port Macquarie’s regional indoor stadium has finally done an about-face and is heading in the right direction.
Lyne MP David Gillespie announced last week that he had secured $2.8 million funding for the project after some extensive lobbying, ending a tit-for-tat media exchange with the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council.
“We’re not looking in the rear-view mirror – it’s all positive and looking forwards,” he told the Independent.
The news was greeted with delight by local stadium users, including Port Macquarie Basketball Association president Heath Morgan, who said the association had been in danger of losing some major regional competitions because of the lack of space in the existing premises.
“We worked out that one major junior competition alone would have to have been worth over $1 million to the region, by the time you add in food and accommodation for the players and their parents,” he said.
“Now we can host more major comps – maybe even state training squads. This is good news for the local businesses and the region as a whole as well as sports.”
The offer of Federal funding for the upgrade was first announced back in 2011 but because the former Labor Government had formally signed off a contract for the works before the election it meant the funding was in doubt.
The new funding will be made available under the newly created $342-million Community Development Grants Program.
“This is new funding that is being delivered and I am grateful that both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister have been able to lend their support,” Dr Gillespie said.
He said the funding would be available for up to six months, and would be contingent upon the council meeting the program guidelines.
“I look forward to the council completing the necessary paperwork as soon as possible so that this project can finally get underway,” he said.
The project is worth $5.8m in total, with $2.5m also promised by the State Government. When it is complete in early 2015, the new regional indoor complex will include six multi-purpose courts, gymnastics centre, PCYC, cafe, recreational areas and meeting rooms.
A development application for the project was scheduled to go before the Northern Joint Regional Planning Panel yesterday, recommended for approval.
Several weeks ago Dr Gillespie described the council’s failure to expedite the project and get it signed off on before the election as “one of the worst examples in Australia of procrastination by a council that was actually offered money to undertake a project”.
However, the council has repeatedly defended the delays, saying the stadium had to be redesigned to incorporate a new PCYC extension.
