The construction of the new James Bathe Reserve, located at 67 Caversham Drive, Pakenham, is nearing completion, with facilities scheduled to be open to and bookable by the community in early-2020.
Minister for Local Government the Honourable Adem Somyurek, Member for Bass Jordan Crugnale and Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing joined Cardinia Shire Mayor Cr Jeff Springfield and fellow Councillors recently for a site tour and official opening.
Cardinia Shire Mayor Councillor Jeff Springfield said the new reserve will provide a wealth of community health and wellbeing benefits, as well as new participation and social opportunities.
"Council is excited to provide our community with such a wonderful reserve, which encourages social connectedness by offering spaces for our residents to gather and participate in activities and programs," Cr Springfield said.
The new reserve includes two sports ovals, two netball courts, a community and sports hub, a playground with skate facilities, multi-purpose cricket practice nets, a multi-use ball court, walking paths, open space areas, wetlands, shelters and barbecue areas, and car parking.
The sports ovals are scheduled to be ready for sport use in summer of 2020–21, which will be managed by Council under its Seasonal Allocation Process.
The reserve's playground area and netball courts will also be open to the community from early-2020.
The community and sport hub building has been created for both community and sporting use, and includes bookable community spaces, sporting social space, meeting rooms, a community kitchen and canteen, which will be available for hire by the community from early-2020.
The building also includes sports change rooms, with universally accessible amenities, umpires rooms, a gym, storage spaces, and a first aid room.
The James Bathe Recreation Reserve master plan was developed with extensive consultation during the planning and design stages of the project. Council has worked with the local community and user groups, the Department of Environment, Water, Land and Planning (DELWP), and Sport and Recreation Victoria to ensure facilities will serve the varied needs of the growing community in the best way possible.
Council has also sought input from sporting organisations, such as AFL Victoria, Netball Victoria and Cricket Victoria, who represent the sports that will be located at the reserve.
The reserve and building projects have been jointly funded by Cardinia Shire Council ($10.3 million), and the Victorian Government's Community Sports Infrastructure Fund ($513,442) and the Growing Suburbs Fund ($500,000).
