Australia's National Local Government Newspaper Online

Three-way partnership – winners all round for local community

People in Blackwood, South Australia should be a bit fitter soon with the opening of a new recreation centre providing a venue for soccer, hockey, basketball, netball, badminton and other sports. The completion of the new $4 million multifunction community recreation centre has highlighted the importance of effective partnerships between State and Local Governments and their communities.

Faced with an ageing single court centre in need of renovations, and with no land to expand, Mitcham Council started a search for a new site four years ago. Given that the area is well developed, the only suitable site was the Blackwood High School ground. So began discussions with a range of groups including the South Australian Government’s Department of Education and Children’s Services and the Department of Recreation, Sport and Racing, along with local community groups.

The Education Department made the land available for the project in exchange for rights to use it during the day, and the Department of Recreation, Sport and Racing contributed $1.3 million. Mitcham Council contributed the proceeds of the sale of the old centre – $1.16 million – to the project, as well as providing a loan of $900,000. The centre management will repay the loan over the next 15 years and the remainder of the funds were obtained through community donations.

The centre is designed to meet the demands for indoor recreation for the next ten years. It will cater for a wide variety of activities including indoor soccer, in-line hockey, basketball, netball, badminton, yoga, dance and gymnastics, as well as providing a modern centre for local schools.

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