Just in case you have missed all the local press and social medial today, here is the official Media Release from Greg Piper MP (Member for Lake Macquarie) relating to the funding grant that HMBA have been awarded for the Awaba Mountain Bike Park – a massive $450,000 to go toward the following projects:
- Improvements to the access road, car park and event hub.
- Four completely new trails, including a gravity trails expansion, Adaptive Cycling trails for riders with disabilities, Junior DH trails and Flow DH trails.
- The building of seats and rest points at trail junctions.
- Improved bollard signage replacing arrows for trail grades and routes.
Community projects to share in $3.5m funding haul
More than $3.5 million in funding will breathe new life into local sporting and community projects, Member for Lake Macquarie Greg Piper has announced today.
Funding secured from the State Government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund will finance 10 projects in the Lake Macquarie City Council area.
Of significant note, $450,000 has been secured by Hunter Mountain Bike Club to significantly expand and improve the Awaba Mountain Bike Park.
More than $600,000 will fund a new children’s playground and improvements to Bernie Goodwin Memorial Park at Morisset, while $620,000 will extend the Morisset Peninsula cycleway at Brightwaters.
Walters Park at Speers Point, the home of Lake Macquarie Rugby Club, will receive $231,000 for field lighting, and more than $680,000 will be provided to Lake Macquarie City Council to build better shade structures, seating and barbecue areas at local swimming centres.
“This is great news for Lake Macquarie communities,” Mr Piper said. “I’m particularly pleased that we’ve received funds to extend the cycleway at Brightwaters, and the money for Awaba Mountain Bike Park will make the park one of the best in the country. It’s already attracting loads of mountain bike enthusiasts from Sydney and other areas so it’s becoming a bigger and bigger tourist drawcard.
“I’m really happy that we’ve been able to get so many of these projects funded. I congratulate the groups involved and Lake Macquarie City Council on their applications, and thank the State Government for these funding commitments.”
Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser said the grants will help the council move forward with a number of exciting infrastructure projects.
“They include the construction of a world-class mountain biking trail at Awaba, a new shared pathway, public art installations and improvements to four Lake Macquarie swim centres,” Cr Fraser said.
“These projects continue to promote an active lifestyle and enhance our vibrant Lake Macquarie community.
“This is a successful example of how funding projects in partnership with different levels of government can bring significant benefits to the community, generate local jobs and drive economic growth,” she said.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro said the roll out of the second round of projects takes Stronger Country Communities funding to $300m.
“I congratulate Greg Piper and Lake Macquarie City Council and look forward to the local sports and community facility improvements that will make the region an even more attractive place to work and raise a family,” Mr Barilaro said.
“The $300 million Stronger Country Communities Fund is part of the NSW Government’s $1.6 billion Regional Growth Fund that is employing local tradies, putting local suppliers to work and providing the right environment to operate regional businesses,” he said.
For more information on SCCF, visit: www.nsw.gov.au/strongercountrycommunities.
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