General News
22 August, 2023
Hub hopes spur makeover bid
CREATION of a new sports and entertainment hub will headline community conversations in Inglewood gathering ideas for the future of the town’s recreation reserve. Committee of management president Andrew Nevins said conversations would centre...
CREATION of a new sports and entertainment hub will headline community conversations in Inglewood gathering ideas for the future of the town’s recreation reserve.
Committee of management president Andrew Nevins said conversations would centre around future uses of the reserve to make it “a centrepiece for the town”.
Mr Nevins said the reserve’s existing building was more than 50 years old and a planned feasibility study would look at projected use over the next decade.
“We need to talk to youngsters as well ... it will be their generation who will benefit the most,” Mr Nevins said.
“We already have the football and netball clubs using the reserve, the tennis clubs and Inglewood and Districts Health Services for their fitness programs.
“Who will be here in the future? A cricket club again? Perhaps it’s an outdoor entertainment venue showing movies.
“And we can certainly consider the growth the town can expect over the next 20 or 30 years.”
Mr Nevins said he had been on the reserve committee for the last decade.
He took over from Alan Last who has been part of the volunteer management team even longer.
Both hope the proposed feasibility study on development of the reserve will prompt a new breed of visionaries to take leadership of the committee at next month’s annual meeting.
Mr Last said the committee had basically just been maintaining the existing building and facilities.
“We can keep throwing money at an old building, playing catch up with maintenance or the community can look to move forward,” he said.
Loddon Shire representative on the committee, Wendy Murphy, said a strategic assessment of the precinct would be used for development of a master plan.
“We will be looking at the next 10 years but also a vision for a longer-term plan too,” she said.
Cr Murphy said that could include multi-use courts at the reserve.
A report on community conversations was expected to be completed by January.
Mr Nevins said: “We want to gather the community’s ideas. It’s those ideas that can create a great hub into the future.”