STAWELL’S former courthouse and shire hall on the Western Highway will be linked and developed in a $1-million project.
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The Western Highway Civic Precinct Development Project will include a new gallery, meeting room, function space and conference area.
There will also be climate-controlled document storage and a new document library and research site.
The State Government will pay half the cost, with $400,000 coming from the Northern Grampians Shire Council and $100,000 from the Stawell Historical Society.
Society vice-president Jim Melbourne said their contribution was bequeathed to them five years ago.
“It gives us proper storage for historical records,” he said.
“At the moment we are in a 170-year-old building, which is very hot in the summer and freezing cold in winter.”
Mayor Kevin Erwin said council’s contribution was already budgeted for and would not require further fundraising.
He said there had been significant community demand for the redevelopment.
“Various community groups, schools and sporting clubs have already expressed an interest in using the facility to host meetings, displays, fundraising events, promotions, awards nights and presentations, as well as store items,” he said.
Cr Erwin said it would be a major boost for the Stawell Historical Society and Stawell Lions Club.
“It is a great project and it will allow the historical society to store their large volume of material in a proper climate-controlled condition,” he said.
“There’s newspapers dating back to 1860, it is all pretty precious.
“It will have an open gallery for displays and exhibition and a space for meetings and small conferences.
“The Lions club will have a permanent home and there’s a kitchen to allow for catering.”
Cr Erwin said he expected the project to be completed in July next year.
Deputy Premier Peter Ryan visited Stawell to announce the government’s $500,000 contribution.
In a busy day on the campaign trail in the marginal seat of Ripon, Mr Ryan also promised $2.5-million over three years to fund the ground-breaking Ararat Active project if the Coalition win November’s election.
Ararat Mayor Paul Hooper said he was elated with the announcement.
“It will test, demonstrate and evaluate what it takes to shift the culture and social norms of a rural city from sedentary to active and healthy,” he said.
He said the program would continue the momentum of positive health outcomes in the municipality in the past 12 months.
Mr Ryan called on Labor to match the commitment.
Labor candidate Daniel McGlone and Shadow Health Promotion Minister Danielle Green met with Ararat Rural City Council representatives prior to the Coalition’s announcement.
He said Labor would look at the detail of the Coalition’s commitment before deciding whether to match it.
“We are very supportive of it,” he said.
“It is a fantastic way of dealing with health, obesity and problems which flow from that.”
Earlier on Tuesday Mr McGlone, Liberal candidate Louise Staley, Nationals candidate Scott Turner and Greens candidate Rod May attended a candidate forum in Ararat.
There will be another candidate forum in Stawell on Thursday morning.