Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney today officially opened the new Pomonal Community Hall, providing residents with a modern, multi-use space to better meet the community’s needs.
The redeveloped Pomonal Community Hall forms a new centrepiece for the Pomonal Community Precinct, and will support a greater range of sporting, community and tourism related events and activities for the town.
The new hall replaces the previous town hall that had served Pomonal residents since the early 1930s.
The bigger, better, brand new facility is located at the Pomonal Recreational Reserve and is the result of extensive community consultation to ensure it was designed to meet the community’s needs for at least the next 50 years.
The Victorian Government is supporting the upgrade with a $485,000 funding injection with Ararat Rural City Council providing $400,000. In a demonstration of great pride and community ownership, the local community raised $100,000 towards the project.
The project involved tearing down the old hall and building a new, multi-purpose facility featuring a larger community space that can now accommodate up to 200 people. It also features new bathroom and toilet facilities, a meeting room, kitchen, storage areas, lobby area and a north-facing deck overlooking the reserve.
The new building creates a formal entrance to the street, wrapping around the oval to provide a useful forecourt for markets and other activities. It was designed by Simon Whibley Architects in consultation with the Pomonal community.
Pomonal is an important gateway to the Grampians National Park and is a strongly utilised accommodation option for people attending events and attractions in the Grampians. The new facility will provide opportunities for nearby tourism events to expand their reach into Pomonal which will create direct economic benefits for the town.
Quotes attributable to Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney
“When towns have thriving community spaces, it creates a greater sense of wellbeing, connection and community identity. This project is a positive one for Pomonal which has been severely affected by drought in recent years and the 2006 bushfires.”
“We’re investing in regional jobs and creating vital infrastructure to make regional communities even better places to live, work and visit.”
“This project is an excellent example of State and Local Governments working in partnership to invest in vital infrastructure to help build stronger regional communities.”