At last Wednesday’s Council Meeting, tenders for four major recreation projects, totalling over $2.5 million were awarded. The projects include the redevelopment of the Inverloch Netball Courts, the construction of the Inverloch Netball Pavilion, and the redevelopment of the Wonthaggi Tennis Club courts and the Inverloch Tennis Club courts. It’s exciting to see these important community projects progressing, with work on all four to get underway before the end of November. These projects will provide improved facilities for our whole community, which is a fantastic outcome.

Another big decision from last Wednesday’s meeting was the resolution to commit $19 million to rebuild the Cowes Cultural and Community Centre – which was welcomed by the gallery. Work now begins on the project’s delivery and we will be consulting with the community on the design over the summer holiday period. Funding for the Project will be allocated in the draft 2020/21 and 2021/22 budgets.

In some exciting news, the State Government was in Inverloch on Friday to announce $1.15 million to help combat the erosion affecting the Inverloch foreshore. From this funding, $450,000 will used to install a wall of large, fabric (geotextile) sandbags to protect the Inverloch Surf Life Saving Club building from further erosion. The remaining $700,000 will be used for a pilot development of a Regional and Strategic Partnership (RaSP) over the wider Inverloch marine and coastal area. The pilot RaSP will develop a Local Coastal Hazard Assessment and Community Resilience Plan to better inform long-term and future investment in the broader Inverloch Anderson Inlet area. Combatting erosion in Bass Coast is one of our top advocacy priorities. It's fantastic to see this State commitment, which will complement the Federal commitment of up to $1.5 million. This is an excellent example of what a collaborative approach and focussed advocacy can achieve.

In Bass Coast, we have 15 Special Committees, commonly known as Section 86 Committees of Management, which manage a number of our halls and reserves for the benefit of their local communities. These committees are always ready to welcome new volunteers who are willing to help maintain, develop and promote use of these community assets. These facilities only operate due to dedicated people giving their time back to the community, which is why it is so important to give them our support.