The Coolgardie Skate Park redevelopment project is one step closer to reality, thanks to a $46,000 boost via the latest small grants round of the Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund (CSRFF).
Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region Dave Grills MLC welcomed today’s funding announcement and showed his strong support for the local project.
“Congratulations to the Shire of Coolgardie for their successful funding application, which will assist with the redevelopment of the local outdoor skate park,” Mr Grills said.
“I am very supportive of sporting and recreational initiatives like this that provide young people with outlets for structure, play and fitness.
“Upgraded facilities provide young people with a more positive way to combat boredom, and essentially an alternative to crime and anti-social behavior.
“Youth crime rates throughout the Mining and Pastoral Region are unacceptably high, so providing as many alternatives as possible for our young people is a matter close to my heart.”
Mr Grills said the Coolgardie police, local schools and community had been instrumental in designing and implementing programs that assisted youths to find activities that helped them with self-development and provided them with sociability and connectedness.
“Amongst these programs is an excellent basketball initiative that young people are really enjoying, and it is achieving some good results,” he said.
“The Coolgardie police, school and local community do a fantastic job with this and other similar programs and I continue to support them with what they do.”
Mr Grills said he would continue to lobby on behalf of the Coolgardie community for further funding for initiatives that provided Mining and Pastoral youths with programs that helped develop their self-esteem, leadership skills, and improved their mental and physical health and wellbeing.
He said the State Government also continued to support grassroots sports with grants of up to $200,000, which were designed for clubs and councils that required financial assistance to complete a project, which might otherwise be out of reach.
“Whether it’s new equipment, a shed or floodlighting, these smaller projects also make a huge difference to the quality and amenity of our local sport and recreation facilities,” he said.
Twenty-three projects from around WA totalling $576,482, including 15 from regional WA worth $326,017, were approved in this latest round and include projects such as clubroom refurbishments, upgrading cricket practice nets and the installation of a storage shed.
This State Government has invested more than $157 million in 1000 sports and recreation facility projects through CSRFF across the State, since 2009.
Nationals WA candidate for Kalgoorlie Tony Crook said projects funded in this latest round would encourage regional people to be more active.
“Upgrading facilities helps to create a more vibrant community and refurbishing sport and recreation clubs has been shown to encourage new members to join,” Mr Crook said.
“This undoubtedly contributes to the health and wellbeing of the entire community,” Mr Crook said.
For a full list of recipients visit: www.dsr.wa.gov.au/successful-csrff-small-grants.
The next CSRFF Small Grants round opens on 1 February and closes 31 March, 2017. For more details on CSRFF funding visit: www.dsr.wa.gov.au/funding/facilities-(csrff).
For media enquiries contact Dave Grills MLC on (08) 90711 500 or email dave.grills@mp.wa.gov.au.
