Kiewa River Community Park

Works continued this week with the removal of the large back storage shed to improve park safety and aesthetics.

The newly planted trees and shrubs are thriving following the recent rain which has helped them to quickly establish themselves in the landscape.

The site is really taking shape now, with works to connectpathways, landscaping, lighting, carparking, drainage and irrigation now complete.

Another 300 plants have been added to the landscape thanks to the Kiewa-Tangambalanga-Bonegilla Landcare Group's community planting day on Thursday 14 November and we'd like to say a big thank you to everyone involved.

The Men’s Shed, with our support, has submitted a grant application to the Men’s Shed Funding program and if successful, this will fund a purpose-built facility which will be located at Coulston Park Tangambalanga. Announcements regarding this funding are expected in early December.

Once the Men’s Shed has relocated the final elements of the project can be completed. These works include the demolition of the sheds on the site and installation of BBQs and shade structures.

Just in time for today’s rain, approximately 300 new plants have been added into the existing garden beds at Kiewa River Community Park.

Works will continue over the next few weeks, with more than 1500 new plants set to be planted in total.

Future of Men’s Shed at Kiewa River Community Park

An update from CEO Trevor Ierino - January 2024

I want to take this opportunity to reiterate our support for the men’s shed group and our commitment to helping them find a new home, as well as seeking grant funding support.

The community asked Council several years ago to purchase the former North East Catchment Management Authority (NECMA) depot at Kiewa to create a community space with access to the river. The vision was to create a family friendly space for all the community to enjoy, as well as attract visitors from further afield.

The site contained a number of structures including two old sheds which were always flagged for removal to allow for the creation of such space. We then set about working with the community to firstly create a master plan for the site. The masterplan developed for the site is to create a welcoming, appealing community park with a clear line of site to the Kiewa River.

With that master plan completed it allowed us to seek grant funding to build the vision. The planned revitalisation work including new landscaping elements and amenity improvements, is being funded through a grant of $90,000 from the state government (matched by a council contribution of $80,000 and $10,000 in-kind from community groups) and needs to be completed by 1 May 2024.

Council was approached by the Men’s Shed group to use one of the sheds for its members and this was offered as a temporary arrangement until the works could commence on creating a community space. This Council happily agreed to.

With the grant secured, and construction milestones agreed with the grant provider, the sheds now need to be removed.

Our staff have been working with the Men’s Shed to find an alternative location, and secure a grant, and are currently exploring several options for a long-term permanent home as well as storage for their tools and equipment.

We are fully supportive of the work of the Men’s Shed and understand the health and wellbeing benefits for the community of connecting through the Men’s Shed activities.

We are committed to working collaboratively with members to find a permanent home and to seek grant funding opportunities to build a purpose-built facility which could possibly be on the existing site as per the masterplan (in the south-east corner).

I hope that this helps to clarify the situation, and I look forward to completion of the community space for Kiewa-Tangambalanga with access to the Kiewa River, as well as a permanent home secured for the Men’s Shed.

Topsoil has now been laid and with favourable conditions forecast over the coming months, these areas should soon be vibrant green spaces.

Further minor landscaping and amenity improvements will be completed prior to the Christmas holidays.

Additional works are planned for early 2024.

We've commenced preliminary works to improve the site's amenity ahead of the summer season.

Works include drainage improvements behind the existing sheds, the creation of grassed areas and a pedestrian path from the car park to the back gate.

We'll also be removing some of the cyclone mesh fencing from along the front of the property and installing a fence along the top of the river embankment to improve safety.

These works, which will be completed prior to Christmas, are part of a phased plan to activate the site, with further landscaping improvements to be undertaken early next year.

Click to view the concept plan for these works(PDF, 1MB)