Letter to the Editor

August 22nd 

Putting the Record Straight

I have enjoyed getting along to see some games at Pedrina Park and talk to some players and supporters. Our family have spent many happy hours enjoying hockey, netball and football up at PP. and Soccer at Mitchel Park. I think its a great venue but with much more potential with good planning.

I think the best way to summarise the outcome of the 2017 application for support for Southern Grampians Shire Council for a Pedrina Park Hockey Clubroom has been less than ideal.

The process has been tough on everyone. Stressful and a lot of pain without much gain from what I can see at this stage. I have never experienced a community project being handled in this way before.

When talking to Hockey players and supporters at Pedrina Park I discovered a lack of knowledge of what was being planned with their Hockey Clubroom funds. Some hockey/soccer players had seen the plans but did not think the plans were that great. Some thought a two story building was being put behind the goals so there would be better viewing. Others thought there was indeed a clubroom going on the grass mound flanking the synthetic field. Others wanted a clubroom on the other side where a verandah would have protection from the wind.

I was later accused of misleading people that GRHA had committed funds to a multipurpose facility.

For the record:

1. there was a written commitment of $100,000 from GRHA in SGSC's two SRV funding applications for a Multipurpose Facility at Pedrina Park. With a commitment from Hamilton Soccer for $25,000

2. The location in the two application attachments was alongside the fenced soccer field and behind the synthetic Hockey goal posts.

3. The design of the building was also an attachment to the two applications.

These applications were lodged to SRV end of June and end of July 2018.  One for $250,000 for minor facilities funding and one for $500,000 for female friendly changerooms.

Despite my appealing to the Council and CEO I was not successful in getting the plans and location and funding model for the proposed $1.3 million dollar facility made public in the media or even in the council agenda.

As a result I felt that I could not be confident that there was adequate player and supporter consultation on this facility, a project initiated by a Pedrina Park Hockey Clubroom budget item that council supported with $100,000 commitment matching GRHA's $100,000 commitment. And re endorsed again in the 2018/19 budget titled Pedrina Park Hockey Clubroom.

I have since been informed by our directors that if hockey does not want to continue supporting funding the multi-purpose project then the council will have to review/rework budget/plans or words to that effect.

Dawson who attended to report on the meeting did not report my question to the director on the budget for this 1.3 million $ project. The shortfall of funding after gaining $250,000 and $500,000 of SRV funding being another $525,000 with only a remaining commitment of $25,000 being on the table if GRHA withdraw their funds which they can do.

I moved a motion at this August 8th meeting to get the funding split to allocate $250,000 to the Hockey Clubroom and leave the $500,000 to go towards the multi-purpose changeroom I also sought a review of the concept plans within the applications and to retitle the project to a Pedrina Park Masterplan Upgrade.

Unfortunately, this motion failed to get a seconder and lapsed. Details should be on the council website under meetings and minutes, though the draft minutes currently on the web site are not quite accurate. The Spec report comment from reporter Dawson was "an amendment which had not been formed in any coherent manner".  Pity Dawson did not report the actual content.  Seems pretty clear on the audio of the meeting which are available.  And I sent my comments on concerns on the recommendation in the agenda well before the meeting, not a comment "after " the meeting as was reported.

I was the only councillor not to give the thumbs up to what the working group had come up with; unpublished plans and detail not made public or included in the council agenda. I am also concerned that the excuses of "commercial in confidence" reference to "confidential briefing material", , and the "voluminous size" of attachments being too large to be included in the Council Meeting Agenda papers.

In my debate I quoted the pictures of the taxi stand and the lakes edge maps which were of similar size and were included in the same August 8th agenda. But we could not see the design and site of the 1.3 million dollar facility SRV application. I even quoted the detail provided in the Balmoral Community Complex made public despite still being in a funding application process with no problem of commercial in confidence there.

I can only suggest that if Hockey supporters want to pursue their original application for a clubroom then they consider doing just that. I also think that Soccer can do much better than the design and location in these applications. After gaining several fields for soccer at Pedrina Park due to hockey concentrating currently to one synthetic field, they should not build their clubroom on the potential site of the second hockey field.

Both sports could apply for a planning and building permits for clubhouses where they believe they'll get the best value and support for their players and followers.

Sport and Recreation Victoria could actually fund a hockey clubroom. They have not been asked formally. I don't know of any other synthetic fields that sit stranded without supporting clubrooms close by, and I would be surprised if other clubs have not received State and local Council support across Victoria.

There is opportunity to apply for single use funding support if you make a good case for doing so. Sport and Recreation Victoria infer so in their guidelines.

The push for a multipurpose Change room and replacement of the public toilets could still be part of the Pedrina Park Masterplan.

It could be a WIN WIN, Club rooms AND new public amenities/change rooms.

The Masterplan design with be the next important step. We are being told as councillors that we should be looking at our future needs infrastructure 20-30 years out. That should include a site for a second hockey field.

We have worked hard to improve our community engagement and consultation and if it is swimming pools or walking tracks we seem to be listening much better. The design concept only appeared on the council web site after the August 8th meeting where we were misled that it was already publicly available. But not the site that is included in these two applications.

Finally, Pedrina Park could be best run by a community committee of management, like the Coleraine Community are working on to achieve their goals, providing council with strong leadership on what they want with their community assets.

Council is here to serve the community.

And as just one of your elected councillors I am here to serve and represent the community. I may have lost the vote, but part of my task is to ensure the public debate is accurately reported as this project is still ongoing.

Yours sincerely

Cr Katrina Rainsford