Communities right across the Tamworth Region will soon see new developments in local parks as well as upgrades to public facilities and footpaths, with 17 new infrastructure projects scheduled for construction in the new financial year. Residents in Tamworth, Manilla, Kootingal, Barraba, Attunga, Weabonga, Woolomin and Split Rock can all expect to benefit from the projects funded by the Australian Government's Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program.
High priority projects in the pipeline include the state-of-the-art Disability Transport Hub in Bicentennial Park, as well as the redevelopment of the Kootingal and Weabonga community halls. The funding will also result in additional facilities being constructed at Viaduct Park, including an extension to the skate park for scooter riders, a half court basketball court and extensions to the Youth Training Café.
Col Murray, Tamworth Regional Mayor said "We are excited to be able to deliver such a wide variety of projects, both big and small, for communities across our region. These projects have all been identified via community consultation as being important to local residents, so it's wonderful to see them coming to fruition."
The new infrastructure will complement the nine projects announced last year under the first phase of the same funding program. Some of these are already underway, such as the Hewitt Observatory and Planetarium currently being constructed as part of Victoria Park's new Astronomy Centre.
Federal Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce said this additional funding support from the Australian Government would deliver significant benefits for Tamworth and the surrounding villages.
"Not only will this new round of projects support local jobs, construction businesses and economic growth, it will also help the Tamworth region grow stronger, building on millions of dollars already spent on new infrastructure," Mr Joyce said. "It's great to see projects being supported in smaller communities too such as the Weabonga Hall upgrade which I went into bat for, in addition to projects in Tamworth such as the Disability Transport Hub in Bicentennial Park, which I have also been fighting hard for."
