New infrastructure celebrated in Korumburra

By Andrew Paloczi

COMPLETION of Korumburra’s three-stage Streetscape project and the town’s new skatepark were celebrated at an official opening on Friday in the railway precinct.

A walking Streetscape tour led by South Gippsland Shire Council’s Manager of Infrastructure Delivery Jareth Goss, and a skate clinic run by Grow Skate Society added to the event, as did the Korumburra sunshine.

Deputy Mayor Brad Snell and Member for Eastern Victoria Tom McIntosh were among those cutting the ribbon on the edge of the skate park.

The facility designed by Eastbywest to cater to a variety of skating abilities, and for skateboards, bikes and scooters, was funded by South Gippsland Shire Council ($320,000) and the Victorian government’s Community Sports Infrastructure Fund ($100,000).

The Streetscape project began in Little Commercial Street, the second stage being Commercial Street, with the creation of a laneway connecting the township to the Community Hub rounding out the works.

The $6.5 million Streetscape works, across the three stages, were funded by the Victorian government’s Community Infrastructure Loans Scheme ($5 million) and South Gippsland Shire Council ($1.5 million).

“That includes the land acquisition where we purchased that pedestrian link property,” Mr Goss said of the Streetscape costs, the walkway using land previously occupied by the town’s former newsagency.

He was pleased council had the vision to align the Community Hub project and the Little Commercial Street works and not leave anything undone, saying the initiative goes back as far as the period in which administrators were in charge in South Gippsland Shire.

Subsequent councils have thrown their support behind improvements.

“Projects like this always have a bit of controversy; there’s a lot of compromise needed to try and make the street environment satisfy all those different demands and users, but I think we’ve found a good balance here,” Mr Goss said.

He acknowledged the support of the state government’s Department of Transport and Planning.

“They’ve helped us along the way and have recently done their road pavement rehab here in Commercial Street that really complements our work and finishes the street properly,” Mr Goss said.

He also credited South Gippsland Water for replacing its mains, and services into shops at a suitable stage of the Streetscape project, minimising risks of any of the new street works needing to be dug up for water pipe repairs.

“Both the Streetscape and skatepark support Korumburra’s vision for a vibrant, connected town,” Cr Snell told attendees, saying the upgrades make the area safer, more inviting and more enjoyable for families, young people, visitors and local traders.

He thanked council’s infrastructure delivery team for delivering both projects on time and within budget and expressed his appreciation to community members for their patience during construction.