An agreement to proceed with investigations into partnerships with the Department of Education could soon see school sports facilities made available for community use outside of school hours.
Hills Shire Mayor, Councillor Yvonne Keane, said Council is looking forward to continuing discussions that could result in future shared-use agreements, starting with a proposed sporting field and school hall at a new school to be built in Fairway Drive, Kellyville.
“We are continually looking for new ways to juggle the needs of local sports groups within our limited number of grounds – and accessing school venues after hours is a wonderfully innovative idea that could give us greater capacity to meet demand,” Mayor Keane said.
“We have had very positive and meaningful discussions with the Minister for Education, Adrian Piccoli MP, and this has culminated in Council considering a long-term shared use agreement for sports facilities.”
Mayor Keane said that while negotiations to date with local principals had been beneficial, a State Government approach is needed to ensure long-term community access.
“Our sports groups need a long-term commitment in order to plan fixtures and create player development plans,” Mayor Keane said.
“Everyone knows how rapidly our population is growing, and I’m delighted that the Department of Education’s brand new school in Fairway Drive could provide an opportunity for us to contribute to improving the facilities the school can offer in return for shared use.
“We are excited about the concept, and I look forward to working hard with the Minister and my colleagues to improve our community’s access to sports resources in the future,” Mayor Keane added.
