Lynwood’s Purley Park may be in contention for a new half-court basketball court, with the City of Canning flagging an intention to apply for a Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industry [DLGSC] grant.
Purley Park has an existing half-court and while it is extensively used by the community, including students from the nearby Bannister Creek Primary School, it is considered aged, tired and not ideally located within the park, limiting alternative sport uses for the park such as AFL, soccer and cricket.
If councillors vote to support the officer’s recommendation, the city will contribute two-thirds of the $40,000 budget to demolish the existing structure and build a new, bigger half-court in one of two identified locations, expanding the size of the court to include line-markings, making Steph Curry inspired three-pointers possible.
The City’s Youth Services team has also applied for funding towards programs, which includes utilising outdoor basketball areas with at-risk young people.
A new half-court at Purley Park will allow the site to be utilised by these programs, expanding the reach of the City’s youth programming into locations that would previously lack the community infrastructure required for delivery.
The remaining funding will come from The DLGSC’s CSRFF Small Grants Program, which provides financial assistance to community organisations, and Local Governments to implement basic sports and recreation infrastructure projects in order to increase community participation in sport and physical recreation activities, with an emphasis on physical activity through the rational development of sustainable and well-utilised facilities.
The City will apply for $ $13,333 in the February round of funding, which closes on March 31.
If council backs in the application at its March 15 ordinary council meeting, the City’s portion of funding for the project will be included in the 2022/23 budget.
