Committee For Lorne: PICK MY PROJECT – Government Funding for Lorne Community Projects

Recently, the State Government announced an innovative scheme to provide funding for local community projects.

The program is called “Pick My Project”. The Government has allocated $30M to this program and communities throughout Victoria were invited to submit proposals for funding local projects which would make communities better places to live. The projects could include small infrastructure projects, services or events, or programs to improve community and bring people together. For more information on this initiative, visit pickmyproject.vic.gov.au.

Eligible projects had to be proposed by a community member and be supported by relevant agencies such as Surf Coast Shire or Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) as appropriate.

Two projects have been proposed for Lorne. The first is to secure the additional funding necessary to install a multipurpose electronic scoreboard at Stribling Reserve as per the Stribling Reserve Master Plan. The second project is to update the external façade of the Lorne Historical Society.

The scoreboard project was proposed by Stribling Reserve Committee Chairman, Peter Spring. While the primary purpose is scoring sporting activities at the oval, the electronic display will be capable of a variety of applications for community engagement including cinema and concert. Stribling Reserve is also an Emergency Staging Area and the display would be used for community messaging in the event of emergencies.

The Stribling Reserve Master Plan identified that the Reserve is more than just a sporting venue. It is a community hub already providing facilities for a wide variety of community activities.

While there have been financial commitments for this project from Federal Government and Surf Coast Shire, success in the Pick My Project initiative will provide the necessary funds to complete the project.

The Lorne Historical Society has for some time been wanting to upgrade the façade of the building. It is one of the first buildings visitors see when they come across the bridge into Mountjoy Parade and it’s a very, very tired looking building. Local architects have volunteered their time and have proposed upgrading this façade to something more modern and something which will showcase the Lorne Historical Society. An architect’s impression of the proposed new façade is pictured here.

Gary Allen, President of the Lorne Historical Society, has proposed this project. The Surf Coast Shire has committed to match dollar for dollar any funds raised by the Society for this project. A success in Pick My Project would, just like the Stribling Reserve Electronic Display project, provide the funds to complete the project.

At the moment the evaluation team at Pick My Project is reviewing submissions from all over Victoria to ensure they comply with the guidelines of the program. Then the community will be asked to vote on the projects they want to support.

We will keep you posted on the progress of these projects and if they are successful in the review process, we will inform of how to vote for these two projects, both of which will be great improvements to amenities in Lorne.