Fate of South West cricket club upgrades lies in council’s hands with $115,000 of funding up for debate

The fate of a South West cricket club’s upgrades are up to its local council, with $115,000 of funding up for debate. The City of Bunbury will decide on Tuesday night whether to allocate the additional funding to replace the cricket nets at the Colts Cricket Club, after the proposal was first approved more than a year ago. The project would replace the existing three practice nets with five new practice nets which would be moved to the northern side of the Recreation Ground for improved safety. In August 2023, the council allocated $57,808 to the project — one-third of the $173,424 the nets were estimated to cost. The other two thirds were funded by the Colts Cricket Club and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries via the Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund. However, according to officer comments in the meeting agenda, “the initial quotations obtained by the club were not based on a compliant or engineered design”. “In progressing with the project, the city had an obligation to ensure the facility is designed and constructed in accordance with relevant Australian Standards, including concrete and steel fabrication standards, to ensure public safety and mitigate future liability,” their report said. The extra funds cater for these standards and also enable the city to engage a “suitably qualified contractor”. If council approves the additional funding, the city will also submit a request for additional money from the CSRFF. Colts Cricket Club vice-president Graeme Millington told the council in a deputation that “cricket nets are the beating heart of any club” where “players of all ages, skill levels can learn the game, improve their technique and build confidence”. “Unfortunately our net facilities no longer meet the demands of our growing club nor the safety standards,” he said. He said the existing nets were “very outdated” as they were built almost 30 years ago. “They’re coming to the end of their lifespan and that is well and truly showing now,” he said. Mr Millington said he began the CSRFF application process in 2023 after an accident in which someone was hit with a ball due to holes in the net, but the project was now urgent. “We understand that the decisions not easy and we appreciate the many priorities the council have to balance out, but this investment is well overdue,” he said. “We’ve been happy to collaborate, contribute and be a part of this process the whole time, but unfortunately it is starting to now impact our club far too much and this is something which needs to be actioned upon ASAP.”