Hindmarsh Shire Council has been granted an overdue opportunity to take the next steps in redevelopment works at Nhill's Davis Park.
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The state government has invited Council to apply for funding for works on the precinct - which is home to the Nhill and District Sporting Club and has hosted two Wimmera Football League finals in the past two seasons.
Davis Park's grandstand was torn down last year due to safety concerns, and further redevelopments have been marred by controversy through no fault of anyone directly involved.
Council was caught up in the "sports rorts" scandal, with a document from former Sports Minister Bridget McKenzie's office revealing Hindmarsh Shire Council was overlooked for a $471,803 federal grant despite meeting the necessary requirements.
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The application to replace Nhill's Davis Park grandstand was given a score of 84 per cent out of 100 by Sport Australia's evaluation system.
A score of 74 per cent was considered the cut-off to receive a Community Sport Infrastructure grant from the federal government.
An auditor-general report on the "sports rort" affair found there was a bias in awarding grants to projects in marginal seats in the lead up to the 2019 Federal Election.
The latest funding Council has been invited to apply for is facilitated by the Victorian Government's Community Sports Infrastructure Stimulus Program.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for Council to re-submit its previous application as round two is only open to invited applicants," Hindmarsh Shire Council mayor Ron Ismay said.
"There is a very quick turnaround from being invited to re-submit and to when applications close. Successful applicants from round two need to commence on groundworks before the end of 2021."
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The proposed redevelopment of Davis Park will include new male and female change rooms, new community clubrooms with tiered undercover spectator seating, new public toilets, a community gymnasium and a new netball court.
Council and the Nhill and District Sporting Club will host a community information session at the Davis Park clubrooms on Thursday, February 25.
"I encourage any residents from Nhill and district who are interested in viewing the proposed plans for the redevelopment of Davis Park to drop in at any time between 7.00pm and 8.30pm where Council staff and representatives from Nhill and District Sporting will be able to answer questions," Cr Ismay said.
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