Pick My Project reaps more than $850,000 for six community projects
Published on 02 October 2018
Pick My Project reaps more than $850,000 for six community projects
Mayor Joe McCracken has heaped praise on more than 1000 voters who helped secure $858,316 for six community projects in the Colac Otway Shire.
The funding was announced by the State Government today as part of its Pick My Project initiative which delivered $30 million to 237 successful projects. The campaign asked people to vote for their three favourite projects and those with the most votes in each region were funded.
Colac Otway Shire’s successful applicants were;
- $200,000 - Making a Splash – Community Pool becomes indoor Aquatic Centre, Apollo Bay (233 votes)
- $62,000 - Basketball court for Birregurra kids (170 votes)
- $168,460 - Closing the Loop; Community Food Waste to Nutrient Rich Compost , Apollo Bay (168 votes)
- $139,074 - New Toilet Block with Disabled Access and Baby Changing Facility, Birregurra (160 votes)
- $88,781 - Simpson Speedway Track Upgrade of Lighting, Jancourt East (156 votes)
- $200,000 - Multi-purpose cinema facilities at the Apollo Bay Community Centre (154 votes)
Cr McCracken said 652 of the 1046 voters who had their say through the five-week Pick My Project process were successful in supporting at least one of the successful projects.
“This is a wonderful result for our Colac Otway Shire communities and in particular Apollo Bay where three projects were funded to the tune of $568,460 and Birregurra where two projected secured $201,074,” he said.
“The sixth grant was for the Simpson Speedway which is right in the corner of Colac Otway Shire and is a highly valued asset for local motorsport competitors and fans.
“We are very lucky and thankful that so many of our community members registered their votes and as a consequence the funding received has far exceeded my expectations.”
Cr McCracken said the projects showed overwhelming support for sport and recreation outcomes, but he was also pleased social inclusion, health and environment projects had been prioritised by voters.
“Only five Shires in the state had more projects funded than us and one of those was Geelong which topped the table with 13, so that’s a wonderful reflection on our communities, their high levels of participation in this funding initiative and the strength of the projects put forward,” he said.
“Two-thirds of our voters were women, with the 35-44 age group being the most strongly represented. I think the Pick My Project initiative did a great job of capturing everyone’s attention though, with the results showing voters were well spread across all ages and demographics.
“We had a number of communities that really rallied voters in support of their projects and put in a lot of hard work to secure funds. That in itself is a great social outcome for these towns.”