To All Members

Re: Central Park Pavilion Re-Development Project

The Eltham Football Club, Eltham Cricket Club and Eltham Junior Football Club have long occupied a place in the heart of Eltham. The Central Park Facility is the focal point for our local Eltham Sporting Community. The Eltham Cricket Club spans 154 years since its origin back in 1862. The Eltham Football Club had its formation as a sporting club in 1908. Each of the three clubs is a proud co-tenant to Central Park, Eltham and is invested in its role within the local community.

In recent times, the Eltham Central Clubroom and facilities have noticeably fallen below community standards. Existing facilities no longer have the capacity to meet today’s community requirements, including the growth in sporting memberships and increasing participation rates, including notably; growth in female participation.

The Eltham Club was formed in 2011 to represent the facility interests of the three co-tenant clubs who call the Eltham Central Sports Precinct home. More broadly the Eltham Club Board in its representative role maintains a broader vision to facilitate the upgrade of current Central Park facilities for both sporting and community benefit.

I’m pleased to be able to update you on recent positive steps that have been secured toward the Stage 1 Re-development of the Central Park Pavilion.

Stage 1 is the re-development and renewal of the kitchen and toilet facilities together with an expanded general function area which would add additional area of usable internal space of 80 square metres thereby significantly increasing the capacity and functionality of the rooms.

  • With the support of our local Eltham Councilors, a Notice of Motion was recently carried by Council which:
  • Endorsed the proposal put by The Eltham Club to upgrade pavilion facilities at Eltham Central Oval. Endorsed the allocation of approximately $300,000 towards the project, for consideration within the incoming Council 2017-18 budget deliberation process.
  • Noted the estimated cost of the Stage 1 Project as around $600,000 plus required power upgrades
  • Committed Council to ongoing communication with the Eltham Club to support delivery of a fully-funded project and development of  a strategy to maximize grants, sponsorship and club funding capacity.

In short, the above sets the scene for ongoing communication by Council with Eltham Club and “puts us on Council radar” for 2017/18. Further meetings are scheduled now with Council through which we will be supported in the development of detailed plans and reports for Council’s consideration ahead of budget deliberations.

This is welcome progress to an ultimate outcome which will be of benefit to us all as well as to the broader Eltham community.

My thanks and gratitude to Outgoing Councillor Michael Young for his commitment, support and guidance through this process to date. Also Councilor Helen Coleman and Mayor Bronnie Hattam who have long supported and believe in such community developments and the benefits they provide. Outgoing Councilor Ken King also supported the Notice of Motion put in August without which the Motion would not have got up.

Helen Coleman and Bronnie Hattam are both running again for Council at the upcoming elections. I wish them well in their re-election campaigns.

My thanks and appreciation also to our State Member of Parliament, Vicki Ward who continues to support us in our personal endeavours and is a great advocate for the local community.

More work still to be done to realize our objective but we are optimistic of a favourable result ahead. As progress is made over coming months, I will provide further updates.

Yours Faithfully,

Peter Lamont

Eltham Club