Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton visited Ward Oval last week to scope out the site for Cobar’s new Early Learning Centre.
Mr Coulton was briefed by Cobar Shire Council’s acting general manager Kym Miller and projects coordinator Carly Hunter of Council’s plans for a major revamp to the Ward Oval precinct, made possible with a recent $6.7million grant from the Federal Government.
Mr Coulton said he was impressed with Council’s extensive plans for the precinct, and said the new Early Learning Centre in particular will be a game-changer for the community.
The grant was allocated under the most recent round of the Government’s Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) and will also cover a multi-purpose community building.
“There is so much excitement here in Cobar as a result of this grant,” Mr Coulton said.
“It’s going to make an enormous difference – not only to the early learning offering here in town, but to the facilities at Ward Oval which the entire community can enjoy.
“I know that the Cobar community has been campaigning for the Ward Oval redevelopment for quite some time.
“Now, as the beneficiary of the largest grant in my electorate under this round worth
$6.7million, Cobar Shire Council can make this dream a reality.
“BBRF is all about strengthening the local economy and delivering lasting benefits to our communities like Cobar which we know have suffered the flow-on impacts of drought, and now the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
“Cobar Shire Council deserves a huge congratulations on receiving these terrific grants – it’s an outstanding success for our region and I’m very excited to see the projects come to fruition.”
Cobar Shire Council acting General Manager Kym Miller said the grant has enabled Council to move forward with much-needed improvements in town.
“Currently, access to early education in Cobar is disjointed and inadequate, leading to difficulty in attracting families to mining jobs and a high turnover in employment,” Mr Miller said.
“This centre will allow Cobar to have sufficient enrolments to attract specialist services we need such as speech therapy.”
