By Meg Kennedy<\/p>\n
A shed is not often considered the most exciting of buildings, but one currently under construction may have life-saving outcomes.
\nRepresentatives from community groups and local and state governments visited the Bacchus Marsh Lions Club headquarters in Darley where construction for a new SES training facility and shed is taking place.
\nThe joint project between BM Lions Club and BM SES was one of 237 projects voted by communities across Victoria last October, through the \u2018Pick My Project\u2019 State Government initiative.
\nLions Club President Russ Hendry and members, SES volunteer Bill Robson and members, Pick My Project representatives Dani Jones and John Kouvelas, Moorabool Shire CEO Derek Madden and Mayor Paul Tatchell congregated at the Wittick Street facilities in Darley on Wednesday, 31 July to inspect the progress of the successful \u2018Pick My Project\u2019 application.
\nThe joint project between Bacchus Marsh Lions Club and Bacchus Marsh SES was one of 237 projects voted by communities across Victoria last October, through the State Government initiative.
\nProjects are voted online by the general public, with winning applications receiving government funding to make the projects a reality.
\nThe SES and Lions Club received $190,000 for the construction of the new building, aimed to help service the growing population of Bacchus Marsh and Darley.
\nThe SES facilities are currently located just off the busy roundabout exit at Gisborne Road (adjacent to APCO petrol station).
\nA description on the Pick My Project website said the current site \u201ccreates many problems as vehicles are brought in from wreckers and cut up with the Jaws of Life for training purposes in a very restricted and heavy traffic area.\u201d
\n\u201cIn addition, when emergencies occur, members have limited car parking and access, and emergency vehicles are impacted by the heavy traffic when exiting the site.\u201d
\nMr Hendry said the works are \u201crunning well\u201d, with the project expected to beat its deadline for the end of October by a month.
\n\u201cThe [SES] are pretty wrapped about [the shed]. It will help the community with their training here\u2026so they\u2019ve got plenty of room to do it here,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cWe have numerous projects that we look at, and when there\u2019s an opportunity for them to come up \u2013 and the opportunity came here for Pick My Project \u2013 we jumped on it.\u201d
\nMr Hendry admits it was \u201cchallenging\u201d to create a social media campaign \u2013 a platform with a different target group to those involved with the Lions Club, but the project still received an overwhelming number of votes.
\n\u201cThe project is an example of what service clubs can achieve,\u201d he said.
\nIt wasn\u2019t entirely smooth sailing for the project, with a building permit from Moorabool Shire Council only approved in June of this year.
\nMoorabool Shire CEO Derek Madden said there \u201cwere a lot of hurdles to get through\u201d in lifting the project off the ground but insisted Council \u201crecognises the importance\u201d of the project.
\n\u201cWe had a meeting with [Lions Club members] Russ and Ralph [Fletcher] early on to try and make it as easy as possible, but there were some complications \u2013 mainly to do with the site \u2013 but we worked our way through it and hence it\u2019s now done,\u201d he said.
\nMember for Melton Steve McGhie said that \u201cemergency services are the heart of rural communities and we\u2019re proud to be supporting projects, led by the community, to give the SES the modern facilities they deserve.\u201d
\nCompletion for the new SES training facility is set for October 2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Meg Kennedy A shed is not often considered the most exciting of buildings, but one currently under construction may have life-saving outcomes. Representatives from community groups and local and state governments visited the Bacchus Marsh Lions Club headquarters in Darley where construction for a new SES training facility and shed is taking place. The […]<\/p>\n