By BRIDGET SCOTT
Tooradin has outgrown facilities; multiple groups call for town master plan…
MEMBERS of a seaside town that has outgrown its facilities are lobbying council to implement a master plan which would see parts of the suburb receive a total upgrade.
User groups in Tooradin are fed up with out-of-date facilities which have got them feeling left behind from other parts of the City of Casey.
President of the Tooradin Cricket Club Ricky Holland said the City of Casey came to Tooradin about 13 months ago with a desire to create a master plan for the area.
He said they had gone through this process in the past with little or no success, and their facilities had not been updated.
“We feel like we are a little left out here in Tooradin,” he said.
“We are in the back corner of Casey and the back corner of the state and federal seat too.”
“We seem to be in everyone’s back corner.”
City of Casey manager Sport and Leisure Richard Amon advises that council is developing a plan for open spaces at Tooradin and Rutter Park Reserves, in consultation with the community including sporting clubs and other stakeholders.
He said there was no single overarching master plan for Tooradin. He also added that projects listed in the plans were being scoped in line with council’s standards as per the Leisure Facilities and Development Plan, and would assist in supporting participation in sport outcomes.
Mr Holland said plenty of the groups in Tooradin had outgrown their current grounds, including the tennis club and football club.
“We’ve outgrown what facilities there are at the main reserve,” he said.
He also added that the cricket club, which has five senior teams and six junior teams, operates out of a tin shed donated to them by the fire brigade many years ago.
The action group lobbying for the upgrades includes members from the angling club, cricket club, tennis club, football club, netball club.
Some representatives met with council last week in a general purpose meeting where they put their case forward.
Mr Amon from council said that following this, council resolved for a report to be prepared by February 2015 which would address material raised by club representatives.
Council’s current capital works program includes the Tooradin Recreation Reserve Playground Renewal and Upgrade ($50K in 2014/15). The following projects will be considered in council’s future capital works program; Tooradin Tennis Club Construction of Tennis Pavilion, Rutter Park Reserve Pavilion Upgrade and Tooradin Recreation Reserve Playing surface upgrade.
The scope and timing for these projects will be reviewed when the plan is finalised in early 2015, and be considered for funding as part of the next council budget process.
