The City of Greater Geelong will carry out a $1.5 million renewal of theJohn Landy Field athletics track, starting next month.
The works, to be fully funded by the Council, will replace the existing ageing track with a brand new surface in blue and grey.
In addition, the hammer and discuss cage will be relocated to allow for more competition events to be carried out at the same time in accordance with World Athletics standards.
The renewal of the track will mean the facility retains its World Athletics Class 2 accreditation.
Combined with a hoped-for $10 million pavilion redevelopment, the works will secure Landy Field's future as Geelong's premier regional athletics facility.
Mayor Trent Sullivan:
It's really important that our local athletes have access to high standard facilities, which will also help support further growth in the sport.The track renewal will provide a brand new surface for runners to train and compete on, and hopefully help Geelong attract and stage high quality athletics meets.
The Council has allocated $5 million toward the planned pavilion redevelopment and has applied for $5 million via the Victorian Government's Council Support Package, a fund for regional cities that were due to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
An outcome of the application is expected to be known in the near future.
To allow the track renewal works to take place, the site will be closed to the community from 19 June, re-opening towards the end of 2024.
Goldsworthy Reserve in Corio will be available to athletics clubs and schools as an alternative venue while Landy Field is closed.
Councillor Eddy Kontelj, chair of the Active Spaces portfolio:
Thank you to the athletics community for your patience while the works are carried out.We appreciate there will be some inconvenience, but this is an exciting project and the end result will be worth the wait.
The Council is pleased to be investing heavily in facilities that will support our community to be fit and active.
