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The Recreation Reserve in Sarsfield will be upgraded. The almost sixty-year-old hall will be replaced with a multipurpose community centre and upgraded public toilet facilities. A children's play space, adult exercise equipment, and upgrades to other areas such as the existing ageing sporting facilities are also included in this project.

On Thursday 6 April, Mayor Mark Reeves and council officers accompanied the Hon Kristy McBain, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and the Territories to the Sarsfield Recreation Reserve to meet with community representatives. Minister McBain was pleased to announce that the funding agreement to deliver $3.6 million has been finalised.

The Sarsfield Hall became an essential refuge for the Sarsfield community immediately following the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires. Subsequent increased usage highlighted the ageing and inadequate condition of the hall. The redevelopment of the hall precinct will provide a new Community Centre with flexible meeting and activity spaces, a large kitchen, an all-abilities toilet, and shower facilities. In addition, this redevelopment will include the provision of picnic areas, paths, and landscaped areas, creating a purpose-built space for the community to come together and recover following the bushfires.

The announcement on 6 April will see Council manage the project design and delivery whilst working closely with the Sarsfield Community.

Design Scope

Construction of the new multi-purpose community centre will include:

• Meeting room;
• Large function area;
• Commercial kitchen and server;
• Bathroom amenities, including all-accessible facilities.

The grant funding agreement allows for upgrades to the reserve, including:

• Upgrade existing public toilet facilities, with inclusion of a disabled toilet;
• Children’s play space with equipment and adult exercise equipment;
• Upgrade of new multi-purpose court to include tennis rebound wall and basketball backboard;
• Walking and cycling trail around the oval, constructed of compacted gravel or granitic sand;
• Reseeding the oval with climate resilient grasses;
• Landscape picnic area incorporating green area, barbeques, tables, seating and lighting;
• Upgrade vehicle entry and parking, including signage and gravel car parking.

Community Engagement

Representatives of the Sarsfield Community Association will be actively involved in the development of the design brief and will continue to be actively involved as the project progresses. Feedback from the broader community is important and a broader community engagement process will be undertaken throughout the planning process, with communications and consultation at each stage of the project [as outlined in the project Lifecycle to the right of screen].

A Project Reference Group (PRG) was established to help guide this project moving forward. The Project Reference Group will provide a representative viewpoint on the design options and will be included on communications of detailed design. The group was selected with the intention of forming a representative section of the most significant interests that will use or appreciate the area, and to facilitate community involvement in identifying problems and evaluating solutions.

Reference Group members will contribute both local and technical knowledge about issues that are relevant to the project and provide representation for a variety of stakeholder interests.

Funding

Funding for this project is provided by the Australian Government through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.

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