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Hubs of excellence Hobsons Bay mayor Peter Hemphill is encouraging residents to have a say on the Centres of Excellence initiative, which will create six hubs of specialist knowledge across a range of topics. Under the initiative, council would establish the specialised knowledge hubs, which will feature programs, activities, specialist equipment and collections around a specific theme. ■
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Hobsons Bay mayor Peter Hemphill is encouraging residents to have a say on the Centres of Excellence initiative, which will create six hubs of specialist knowledge across a range of topics. (Damjan Janevski) 285952_01
‘Ridiculous’ time lag By Matthew Sims
12533599-HC07-22
Spotswood Football Netball Club representatives have called for Hobsons Bay council to clarify when works will conclude on the new pavilion at the Donald McLean Reserve, with construction works now stretching past the two-and-a-half-year mark. President Alan Given said the club has had to operate without a pavilion since early 2020 and said it was essential for the club to know when the project would be completed. “At the end of the day, we are a business,” he said. “We can’t do a business plan whatsoever. To take this long to build a pavilion is ridiculous.” COVID restrictions resulted in delays to the project, with limited workers allowed onsite
for a long period of time and full construction shutdowns also occurring. Council has scheduled for the pavilion works to be completed by the end of July, with the overall project completion scheduled to be completed by September 2022. The council has provided the tenant sports clubs with temporary facilities to ensure sporting activities can continue throughout the pavilion redevelopment project. Spotswood Football Netball Club chief financial officer Maryanne Fino said it would be difficult for the club to bounce back from the financial hardships presented during the works. “The cost to all the clubs has been unsurmountable,” she said. “Yet we continue to turn up each week
watching no activity and support our local club in the mud.” Club social media manager Jenny Walshe said the number of excuses for the delays was “just unbelievable”. “It is hard to understand why the council is dragging its feet on a state government-funded project which is an absolute necessity for the community to come back together,” she said. Williamstown MP Melissa Horne said she has been working with community members and the club to share their concerns with the project managers. “The state government backed the sporting clubs and locals that use the facilities at Donald McLean Reserve with a $2.4 million investment, so it’s really important that Hobsons Bay City Council gets this project right,” she said.
Spotswood Football Netball Club’s Alan Given, John Wheeler, Roy Picone, Len Murphy, Jim Fielder, Butch and Gail Knight and Joan Murphy are calling for the end of pavilion redevelopment works at Donald McLean Reserve, after works have lasted for more than two-and-a-half years. (Damjan Janevski) 286502_04
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