Baromi Park Upgrade
Last September the Council allowed Mirboo North to determine how $400,000 of their Capital Works budget should be allocated for the following financial year. We were initially asked to submit ideas online, with the ideas suggested and discussed online being brought to a community workshop.
The attendees at the community workshop listened to the Shire outline how each idea could be implemented and broadly what that would cost, then split into four groups to develop their top four ideas. There was then an opportunity to vote on which ideas to allocate funding too, the outcome of which was that $100,000 was allocated to improve footpaths, and $300,000 was allocated to the upgrade of Baromi Park. If you want to refresh your memory or see more, the report of that Community workshop is on the Shire’s website at http://www.southgippsland.vic.gov.au/downloads/file/1588/mirboo_north_community_capital_works_allocation_report
During the community workshop it was clear that there were almost as many ideas for Baromi Park as there were users, and that a master planning process would be key to ensuring that the upgrade would benefit the whole community well into the future.
Moving forward nine months, on the cusp of the Financial Year in which the $300,000 allocated to Baromi Park will be spent, the Council has let Mirboo North know that the Baromi Park Masterplan process is about to kick off, and will roll out as follows:
- – There will be a community meeting hosted jointly by the South Gippsland Shire and Mirboo Country Development Inc (‘MCDI’) on Wednesday 26th July at 7pm in the Baromi Centre to refresh the discussion of how Baromi Park should be developed. The focus will be on adding in any new ideas in addition to those which were documented at the community workshop last September (which included skate bowl extension, half basketball court, stage / sound shell, toilet…).
- – After all suggestions are received, Council will finalise a Masterplan brief for a consultant to develop and document the Masterplan in collaboration with the Community and Council.
- – Once the Masterplan is complete, Council will have the individual elements contained in it, designed and costed by the relevant experts (e.g. skate-park specialist for the design and cost of the skate park additions etc.)
- – Council will then arrange for the construction of those of the prioritised infrastructure projects which can be funded by the remainder of the $300,000 (less planning and design costs).
The advantage of preparing a complete Masterplan of infrastructure projects together with designs and costings, is that even if these are not all completed in the 2017/8 Financial Year, it will enable the Shire and the local community to allocate funds, fund raise, seek grants and so forth, to implement the remaining projects over the coming years.
If you are interested in having your say in the Baromi Park Masterplan, you are very welcome to come to the public meeting at the Baromi Centre at 7pm on Wednesday 26th July.
