By Goya Dmytryshshchak
More than 1200 people have signed a petition calling on Hobsons Bay council to re-engage with Mobil to acquire land in Williamstown North for a multi-sports complex.
Parents and children from five sporting codes – football, soccer, netball, basketball and tennis – attended last week’s council meeting.
They dominated public question time, asking why the council had not tendered for the land in Maddox Road, to alleviate the municipality’s dire shortage of sporting facilities.
Williamstown Juniors Football Club president Michael Furlong said the community was telling the council: “Hey listen, we’re not happy with the fact you’re not negotiating and you’re not telling us why.”
However, Mobil told
Star Weekly it would not disrupt the tender process now.
“Mobil respects Hobsons Bay City Council’s decision not to participate in the commercial tender,” said spokesman Travis Parnaby.
“Mobil is progressing the sale of this land in accordance with a confidential, commercial tender process and we have not made, nor will we make, any offer that would be in conflict with this process.”
The council last week reissued its statement on Mobil, saying it had been unfeasible to proceed with a formal tender and that due to confidentiality provisions, further detail could not be revealed at this time.
Responding to questions, mayor Sandra Wilson said the council would spend $61million over 10 years on sports infrastructure.
Clubs at the meeting told Star Weekly they had to train outside of Hobsons Bay and were turning away players.
Williamstown Juniors Netball Club president Louise Allen said teams were being sent far and wide to try to find room to train.
“Some teams can’t train,” she said. “We have fit sometimes two teams on a court.”
Williamstown Cannons Basketball Club president Anton Sucic said he was forced to give preference to Williamstown children.
“We’d like to take the other kids but we haven’t even got enough [room] for the Williamstown kids,” he said.
“We’re actually finding ourselves playing at Westgate [Basketball Stadium] at Whitten Oval.
“The Altona stadium’s so full that you’ve got under 10s and under 12s playing at 8.30 at night – like bedtime.”
