Community engagement has been conducted with key user groups of these spaces, and council is pleased to announce that work will start very soon. We are really grateful to all the stakeholders who contributed to this engagement and thank them all for their input.

The CEO and council officers have been out and about meeting with key users to listen to their needs and concerns at the times of day that people are active in our spaces. Meeting with walkers at the gardens at 6.30am, skate park users at 4pm for a barbecue, and footy/netball club members at their committee meetings and training sessions, outside of a couple of project specific workshops that have been open to all to attend.

In addition to this, we have worked with state government and peak bodies and other councils who have undertaken similar projects to see what we can learn from them. We feel confident that we have been able to use all that input to develop plans that are going to result in facilities that meet the needs and expectations of the people who are using them.

As part of this project, four separate projects are being managed simultaneously and include:

- The Premier Sporting Facilities Development - new netball courts and an upgrade of Alexandra Oval's Olver Stand to include female and family friendly amenities;

- Event and visitor space development - upgrades to the Olver Stand facade, installation of terraced seating, the development of events spaces, undercover viewing spaces and parking upgrades;

- Ararat Active Link Stage 2 (skate park) - multi-purpose court for basketball, cricket and tennis, a bouldering wall, and pathway connections;

- Ararat Active Link Safety Lighting Project - installation of ambient lighting to allow people to use the space in the early mornings and evenings.

The council will contribute $781,000 towards the project with the balance coming from state government grants - a $750,000 grant from Sport and Recreation Victoria, $500,000 from Regional Development Victoria, and $231,000 from the Department of Justice. Work on the projects will begin at various stages over the coming months with all work completed by June 2020.

The benefits of these projects are going to be enormous for the whole region as this area attracts people from right across the region with football and netball players, sportspeople, families, young people and visitors using the space regularly. The council is really looking forward to seeing these projects take shape, and we'll keep you up-to-date on progress as the works continue.

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