Upgrade for Kinglake hub

THE Kinglake District Services Centre will receive a $50,000 State Government grant to upgrade and improve the community hub in the main street of Kinglake.
The project includes the installation of pedestrian access pathways, a garden, a community entertainment space, improved disability access to the services centre, community meeting points, and picnic tables.
The shire has put in $25,000, and the grant of $50,000 will enable landscaping according to plans devised in 2006.
The project complements the recently announced Missing Link Footpath project, which involves the installation of 80 metres of footpath from the front of the Kinglake District Services Centre.
Work is expected to start during July or August, subject to weather conditions.
The grant came to Murrindindi Shire Council through the Government’s Small Towns Development Fund.
The funds were earmarked for the community following a ministerial taskforce into bush fires.
Murrindindi Shire mayor Lyn Gunter said the council had worked in conjunction with the community.
The precinct has lacked significant areas of public open space in the main street. The hub contains the library, council offices, and counselling and community health services.
Seymour MP Ben Hardman said the new facilities would improve the liveability of the area and make the town more attractive to tourists visiting the Kinglake National Parks and other local attractions, generating more income for local businesses.
The Small Towns Development Fund was set up to enable smaller towns to create jobs, drive economic growth, and improve community infrastructure.