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Join in celebrations to mark Port of Sale openingWellington Shire Council is inviting the community to turn out in force to help celebrate the official opening of Stage 1 of the new-look Port of Sale precinct on Friday 10 December. By Wellington Shire Council - 3rd December 2004 - Back to News From 4.00pm through to the grand finale with fireworks at around 9.30pm there will be plenty to keep the whole family entertained. As well as free children’s entertainment and activities, there will be: live music; food, wine and craft stalls; a steamboat; and the availability of paddleboats and canoes for hire. In addition there will be an alcohol-free FReeZA event from 7.00pm to 11.00pm.
On hand to officially open this $2.5million stage of the Port of Sale redevelopment at 5.00pm will be the Hon. John Brumby MP, Minister for State and Regional Development. He will be accompanied by Wellington’s Mayor and Peter Ryan, State Member for Gippsland South.
The funding for this stage includes $1.96 million from the State Government’s Regional Infrastructure Development Fund, $200,000 from the Federal Government’s Commonwealth Sustainable Regions Program, $240,000 from the Council and $65,000 from Gippsland Ports.
The Port of Sale is a significant historic and environmental asset in the centre of Sale, with the potential to become a major tourism drawcard and community asset for the city, Wellington and the Gippsland region. It has the potential to generate over $30 million of investment in the shire, acting as a springboard for significant growth in the local economy in the areas of tourism, retail, commerce and leisure facilities.
Key features of Stage 1 include:
- 70 metres of new timber board walks and 280 metres of concrete paths to open up accessibility to the port area;
- an upgrade of the existing wharf;
- a new floating jetty and two five metre long jetties;
- street lighting designed to add to the night-time ambience and safety of the precinct;
- new picnic facilities, toilet block and barbecue area;
- landscaping improvements with additional garden beds and trees;
- modified and resealed entry roads to the Port, along with upgraded car parking facilities.
A Port of Sale brand has been developed to help market the precinct and is displayed on nearby signage and flags lining the Port area, providing a colourful and exciting entry to the precinct.
Complementing the project is the very successful $5.9 million Esso BHP Billiton Wellington Entertainment Centre, which opened a year ago and provides a suitably impressive gateway to the revamped Port.
There are plans for further environmentally-sympathetic development of the Port of Sale precinct over the next few years to include up-market, low-density accommodation. To help guide how this progresses the council will be drawing up proposals for planning scheme amendments for the precinct early in 2005 and will be seeking community feedback.
Expressions of Interest will then be sought from developers and investors and it is hoped that on-site work for the second stage may get under way early in 2006. This is likely to include enlarging the Port itself to provide a new, much larger marina with the capacity to accommodate 150 boats (the present capacity is 42), apartments, hotel accommodation, as well as convention and retail facilities including a ships chandlery, cafés, restaurants and tavern. This development is expected to attract substantial private investment, which will benefit not just the Port but Wellington as a whole.
Said Wellington’s Mayor Jeff Amos: "The new-look Port of Sale will provide the Shire and Gippsland with a real focal point and tourism pull. We would encourage the community to join in celebrations to mark the opening.
"The benefits to the Shire’s economy will be enormous in terms of the millions of dollars of private investment that are likely to be attracted, which will provide a fantastic boost to local businesses and jobs.
"The 10 December is a very significant date for the shire and we are delighted to have Minister Brumby joining us to help mark the occasion. Not only will he be officiating at the Port of Sale opening, he will also officially open the major new Heyfield Hub community complex, which represents a substantial $800,000 revamp of the Heyfield Library and public hall, and includes a new Rural Transaction Centre. In addition he will be opening the $320,000 extension and major refurbishment to the Stratford Mechanics Hall."
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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