TOWONG’S mayor hopes the Victorian Labor government will match a promise from the state Opposition to build a hub at the Corryong Recreation Reserve.
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Aaron Scales was at the ground on Tuesday as Benambra MP Bill Tilley announced a Coalition state government will provide $995,000 for the planned $2.6 million Upper Murray Events Centre.
The project, which introduces female change rooms to the oval, has already drawn $800,000 from the federal government and council and community cash.
“It’s wonderful to have this commitment from the Coalition and we would hope to see the Labor government match it,” Cr Scales said.
“I’d be very hopeful it would encourage the current state government to make a similar commitment.”
Labor candidate for Benambra Mark Tait was briefed on the project during a visit to Corryong last week.
“We didn’t realise the amount of use that recreation reserve gets two football clubs playing on it and the Man From Snowy River Festival is there,” Mr Tait said.
He said he would not say he was confident of securing funding but added “I won’t be making a false promise like Bill, I’ll have money in my pocket”.
Mr Tilley rejected that suggestion, saying the money for the centre would be in the 2019 state budget if the Coalition was elected.
The Liberal Party’s tourism spokeswoman Heidi Victoria said criticised the state government’s failure to fund the rooms.
“Despite the obvious need it has been ignored by a city-centric Labor government who i doubt would be able to find its way to Corryong,” Ms Victoria said.
As well as female changing areas, the centre will include a commercial kitchen, bar and function section, improved male change rooms and female and male umpires’ rooms.
Cr Scales said the council had received the federal government backing for the project at the end of 2016 but unless it soon locks in Victorian support it may have to forfeit that money or stage the construction.
He said that designs for the events centre had been completed and if the council received a state contribution tomorrow it could immediately go to tender.