Reprieve for sports clubs

The council previously decided to ask the four clubs that use the Yanchep sports facility to pay a third of the estimated $290,000 needed to build a 100sq m meeting room.

Following questions from councillors at the council briefing session on October 7, staff found similar projects that had not required contributions from user clubs and changed their recommendation on the October 14 agenda.

Yanchep Districts Junior Football Club, Yanchep Red Hawks Cricket Club, Yanchep Red Hawks Football Club and Yanchep Little Athletics Club use the facility and representatives had lobbied to get the extension, part of the original plans when the changerooms were built in 1999.

At the council meeting, councillor Dianne Guise successfully moved to delete part of the recommendation that noted clubs had advised the City they would prefer to make in-kind contributions or pay a minimum of up to $20,000 rather than the $98,333 sought by the City.

Elected members present at the meeting unanimously agreed the City would not seek a contribution from the clubs based on a precedent set at Warrahdale Reserve in 2010.

Moving the recommendation, north ward Cr Linda Aitken said the four clubs had become a team through this issue and encouraged them to continue working together.

Deputy Mayor Dot Newton said to ask clubs to pay was ‘mean-spirited’ and Cr Guise said the social dividends outweighed the financial cost for the City.

Mayor Tracey Roberts said she had warned clubs it would not be an ‘easy fix’ when they approached her earlier this year, and praised their passion.

‘Clubs provide invaluable service to the local community, engaging with our youth, providing volunteering opportunities, being excellent role models and helping to develop good values and team spirit,’ she said.

North ward Cr Norm Hewer missed the meeting to fight a bushfire with the local volunteer fire brigade.

Mrs Roberts said the City had applied to the Department of Sport and Recreation for a funding grant of $100,000 to go towards the project, which had an estimated completion date of December 2015.