Thursday, 31 October 2024
Member for Cootamundra and Shadow Minister for Crown Lands, Steph Cooke, has joined Weddin Shire Council Mayor Paul Best and members of the Grenfell Community for a sod turn at Taylor Park, marking the next step in a $1.3 million community development project.
“Families are one step closer to having their very own Livvi's Place inclusive playground at Taylor Park, with the project plan now underway. Turning the sod today is an important step towards making this dream for our region a reality,” Ms Cooke said.
“The Variety Livvi’s Place in Young, and the Livvi’s Place playspace in Cootamundra are some of the incredible play areas for children across the state, built with accessibility and fun top of mind. I can’t wait to see another wonderful playspace for families and visitors in our Cootamundra electorate.”
The Livvi’s Place accessible playspace at Taylor Park received $629,797 in the Stronger Country Communities funding, and a further $661,550 under the Crown Reserves Improvement Fund. Once completed, the park will be named Livvi’s Place Taylor Park, acknowledging the Touched by Olivia Foundation’s work with Council to create accessible and engaging places for children to play together.
Ms Cooke said the next step in the local development of Taylor Park was a fitting acknowledgement of the hard work parents like Emily Essex and her son Billy, who helped lead a campaign for the inclusive playspace.
“Emily has been instrumental in advocating for an accessible play area in Grenfell, and I'm proud to have helped secure the funding to make her vision a reality,” Ms Cooke said.
“As Shadow Minister for Crown Lands, I am thrilled that this project has secured funding under the 2023-24 Crown Reserves Improvement Fund, especially in the face of reduced funding under Labor. I will continue working closely with Weddin Shire Council to see how we can support this important project, with work set to begin in January 2025.
Further, engaging local contractors to bring the playground to life is a crucial opportunity for our local tradespeople, boosting the Grenfell economy and giving us a beautiful space to rest, play and spend quality time in our beautiful Weddin region.”