Project cultivates community connection

ONE of the best things about being a councillor is connecting with community members, sharing a common goal and working together to make a project a reality.

Seeing it all come together and the benefits that flow for the whole community is extremely satisfying.

I recently experienced this feeling at the official opening of the Mount Duneed Community Shed on Sovereign Drive with fellow Kardinia Ward Councillor Bruce Harwood.

Council was proud to fully fund the construction of this new facility, to the tune of $645,000.

It will house the Mount Duneed Men’s Shed, which has been searching for a permanent home after working out of Club Armstrong and Foundation 61 in recent years.

Formally known as the Grovedale Men’s Shed, the Mount Duneed Men’s Shed will use the workshop to continue creating quality woodwork products for the community.

If members aren’t in the mood to get on the tools, there’s also a social/makers space to have a cuppa and a chat.

If you don’t know much about men’s sheds, of which there are 14 operating in the region, they’re more than just workshops.

Men’s sheds provide an opportunity to have frank and personal discussions about men’s health, while developing new skills and friendships in the process.

They’re a place to talk about issues in a safe place.

With mental health taking more lives than the road toll in Australia, council sees the importance of community groups that make a positive difference in this space.

Loneliness and isolation lead to immense challenges for people and the lack of access to community facilities during the pandemic certainly made the situation harder for some.

They provide the opportunity for members, many of them older and retired, to remain active and connected.

And it’s not just the Men’s Shed which will benefit from this new community infrastructure.

While members will manage the facility, they will aim to engage other community groups by hiring out the space on a regular basis.

There is no barrier to who can use the facility, in order to maximise the venue’s value.

Council wants this shed to allow the community to connect, grow and thrive.

I thank the men’s shed for their involvement and feedback over the years in getting this project off the ground – it has been fantastic getting to know you all during this time!

A shout out also to the City staff for their work investigating the feasibility of the new shed, consulting with the community and attention to detail during the design and construction phases.

It’s great to see council deliver another new facility for the community, but we’re also putting a greater share of funding towards improving the condition of ageing assets as part of our new 10-year Asset Plan.

By renewing assets in established areas, we provide equal access to the region’s places, spaces and services, regardless of where they live.

A community facility that needs a spruce up is the very popular Waurn Ponds Skate Park over on Pioneer Road that was built in the late 90s.

Council’s contributing $600,000 on top of the Victorian Government’s $1.34 million grant through its Sport and Recreation Victoria Community Sport Stimulus Infrastructure Program.

We want the park to appeal to a wider group of people and skill levels with a new street drain area and snake run bowl, youth active recreation area and improved street plaza. Never fear, the iconic steel ramps will be retained!

Preliminary utility works are set to kick off late this month with demolition and construction work on the concrete sections of the existing facility starting next month.

The team is keeping the half pipes open for use while the contemporary skate features and play equipment in the new park are built.

Passionate engagement with skaters helped shape the concept plan that shows it really will be worth waiting for.

It’s been an enormously popular play and skate space in the past and, with its many engaging features, is definitely going to attract a lot of attention once the construction is complete.

I’m looking forward to seeing some 360s, kickflips and alley-oops at the redeveloped park in the near future – obviously not from me!

Cr Ron Nelson, Kardinia Ward