Member for Wannon Dan Tehan announced the decision at the skate park on Saturday morning.

The Ararat Skate Park Improvement Committee is aiming to raise $120,000 for a range of new works.

This includes doubling the surface area of the park and adding screens for surrounding properties that back onto the park.

After reaching the $60,000 halfway mark for cash last month, the committee now has nearly $80,000 in the bank for the project.

Mr Tehan said Ararat’s younger residents would benefit from an updated skate park.

“This is a great community announcement,” he said.

“Obviously the skate park is used by a lot of young people in Ararat.

“It is sorely in need of an upgrade and this money will help in that regard.”

Mr Tehan said Saturday’s visit was not his first to the skate park.

"I met with a couple of skaters for months ago,” he said.

“They impressed upon me how good it would be to get a face-lift for the park.

“You want all your facilities in top shape and the skate park is no different in that regard.”

Improvement committee member and Ararat police Sergeant Shane Allgood said more fundraisers were planned for the coming months.

“It is fantastic to get this grant and should take us beyond $80,000,” he said.

“We have a couple of fundraisers to come very soon, including a trash and treasure day next Tuesday.

“It will be at Alexander Hall while prior to that we are hoping to run a raffle as well.”

The raffle will be for a trailer load of wood.

The committee hosted a meeting on May 16 to organise its next fundraising push.

It saw the committee receive its biggest support yet from the community.

Mr Allgood said Ararat residents were getting behind the push to improve the skate park.

“There was a strong representative group of young people there and some parents as well,” he said.

“A couple of the parents pledged fundraisers and one was a local business owner.

“It is also about making the whole area look a lot nice as well, not just improving the skate park for the kids.”

The committee hopes the upgrade project will make the skate park precinct look more appealing to the general public and safer for users.

A $74,000 concrete bowl is one of the big ticket items the committee is hoping to build at the Ararat Skate Park.

Better amenities, including shade cover for summer, drinking fountains and landscaping works are also part of the plans.

Mr Tehan said the Ararat Skate Park Improvement Committee was another example of the community coming together to improve the city.

“The best projects are the ones that come from the community,” he said.

“Where the community is can to contribute, whether it be through their own generosity or fundraising, it is good for places such as Ararat.

“The government should work with the community in those instances to get the best results.

“That is why I have been keen for the federal government to make a cash contribution to this project in Ararat.”

The $15,721 was allocated to the skate park under the federal government’s Stronger Community Program.