BRIDGES were built. Misconceptions were cleared up. And greater clarity was provided in how the project’s moving forward.
I must say that my tour of the $45 million Mildura Sporting Precinct on Thursday was by far the most productive hour I’ve had with council’s chiefs in the near two years I’ve been back writing for Sunraysia Daily.
I’ve been requesting more detail about the project – all in the name of public interest – for many months.
Time and again, I’ve been swatted away like an annoying fly, but all that changed at 2pm on Thursday.
Council CEO Martin Hawson and Mayor Liam Wood led myself and Daily photographer Ben Gross on a detailed tour around the precinct.
Hawson was very impressive as he gave an insight into how the project was developed.
The reason for certain elements, such as outdoor seating, being left out of stage 1, he explained, was because of a focus on getting the premier oval in mint condition.
“You only get one really good go at this part of the project,” he said.
He also revealed the battle between architects, builders and planners in delivering a “community model”.
Indoors, the planning tussle centred on ensuring the aesthetic appeal was maintained, hence the large windows being put in place.
“We didn’t want it to look like a big shed from a distance,” Hawson said.
This, however, has resulted in a day-time glare concern for netballers and basketballers.
To alleviate this problem, Hawson said the council was in the process of ordering curtains from a local supplier.
“The location for the blinds to be installed requires assessment by the fire services engineer to ensure they meet fire safety requirements for the venue,” he said.
“Once this has been completed we’ll be in a position to order and install the new blinds and provide more specific timelines.”
Other minor on-court teething issues, such as getting coloured goal rings to make them stand out against a white background, would be sorted out with the relevant sporting associations, Hawson said.
I quizzed him on how the show court with the elevated seating above it could possibly cater for National Basketball League games, where there would need to be about 5000 seats, or more.
This is where he cleared up the purpose of the courts on the premier oval side of the stadium.
He said it would be known as the “community show court”, while the court alongside it (in the middle of the hall) will be the “major-event show court”.
The community court will be for Heat games, where about 1500 spectators (in temporary grandstands) could watch the Big V games when the Mildura Heat club moves out to MSP next season.
The middle court would be where the NBL and WNBL games are played, he said.
Whether this is a bit of policy on the run or not, it doesn’t matter. The point is that it makes greater sense now.
The Bendigo Spirit are set to play a WNBL game at MSP later this year. A date is yet to be determined because the league is still working out its season schedule of games.
There is little doubt that indoor sports are already winning from the move to MSP, where the temperature is set at 21 degrees inside the stadium.
Hawson said that there had been a 40-50 per cent increase in participation rates for basketball, badminton and volleyball since they relocated to the new venue.
Upstairs, there is a similar strong usage of the corporate section, where a large business room could cater for up to 350 people. It can also be divided into three rooms, which have been popular for AGMs, Hawson says.
As we head outside for the final leg of the tour, it’s clear the head groundsman, Glen “Aussie” Cumming, and his Oasis Unmatched team, are doing a stellar job.
As AFL legend Kevin Sheedy said recently during an inspection, the playing surface is as good as at any major ground around Australia.
Hawson then tackled concerns about seating around the premier oval.
First, he pointed to the San Mateo Avenue end of the ground where a 1.5-2m mound will be put in place later this year and, more tellingly, three undercover terraces (40m in total length) on the stadium side, to cater for about 200 people.
There will soon be single-level aluminium seating around the perimeter of the ground, too. This will be similar to what you see at Henshilwood Oval.
Hawson said there would be 80-100 spaces for cars to park around the ground and 520 sealed spots by the completion of the project.
At this point, I asked whether the council had locked in a cricket tenant yet.
Talks are ongoing to lure a prospective club, I was told.
We then moved around to where the outdoor netball courts are under construction, with an expected completion in late September.
Four seems to be magic number for netball, beach volleyball and squash. Each are getting four courts in the stage 2 build.
I’ve been one of the biggest critics of council’s lack of consultation with user groups and its reluctance to take the public (via the media) along for the ride with this major build.
Well, all this seems to be changing now.
User groups seem much happier and I couldn’t be more thankful to Hawson, the Mayor and the on-site council officers for taking the time this week to properly explain the project’s progress.
Their tour answered questions, addressed valid concerns and cleared up misconceptions about a venue that has genuine potential to nurture and serve generations of Sunraysia sports lovers. And that’s good news for all of us.
