TRIPS to Dubbo and Homebush will be a thing of the past for Orange's budding athletes, who will soon have a track and field centre to call their own.
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Part of Orange City Council's $25 million sporting precinct development at Sir Jack Brabham Park, the track-and-field complex will be the first stage to be completed with Orange expected to be hosting competitions by 2023.
NSW Little Athletics board member Michael O'Mara said the complex, which includes a 500 seat grandstand, would make Orange the envy of the athletics community in rural and regional NSW.
Mr O'Mara said it would also open pathways in terms of the identification and development of talented athletes.
"I've come out here and seen so many athletes, in terms of competition, that have the potential but never get to see that rise. If you have an athletics stadium of this standard, a synthetic track, it's not something that will be left idle," Mr O'Mara said.
Along with a 400 metre synthetic track and grandstand, a discus/hammer throwing cage, javelin and high jump runways, dedicated warm-up areas, commentary box and storage and office space are included.
Before work can begin on the project, the Western Region Planning Panel must approve Orange City Council's development application for the pocket of the former Bloomfield golf course site adjacent to Huntley Road. The Heritage Council will also consider the project.
Cr Jason Hamling, who also chairs Orange's Sport and Recreation Policy committee, is confident it will be given the go-ahead despite the previous controversy surrounding the clearing of trees at the site, the majority of which were radiata pines.
"I think we've gone above and beyond the process. We've had that many community consultations, that many on-site meetings, zoom meetings. The mayor is right, we always see the trees on the other side of the golf course that aren't being touched," he said.
"It's going to be adjacent to Jack Braham Park, it going to be one massive sporting precinct which will be the best west of the mountains. I can categorically say that."
Also included in those state-of-the-art facilities will be an automatic system for chipped timing built below the track surface, and live-steaming capabilities.
"So for every event, people in Sydney can watch it ... similarly grandma and granddad in Wagga or aunty and uncle in Coffs Harbour can watch their nephew or niece run here," Mr O'Mara said.
"I know from discussions with Little Athletics, as a board member, for the region and the zone championships ... the whole outer-grounds will have tents all around it, families will come from every region within the state," he said.
Mr O'Mara added it will also be used as a senior athletics base while schools will also book it.
"For open competitions, this will be an ideal venue - you cannot underestimate the use of this facility," he said.
The track surface will also be heat resistant meaning events can be staged through summer.
"We're building this from scratch so we will learn from other stadiums. We'll take advice from where they went wrong and we'll make it better," Cr Hamling said.
Cr Hamling added it was time Orange's Little Athletics Club had a permanent home after making do at Waratah Sportsground.
Mayor Kidd said if the project was knocked back by the WRPP, Council would appeal.
"If you had a referendum in Orange, I will guarantee you would have 99.9 per cent of people say get on with it, pull your finger out, you're too slow," Cr Kidd said.
"I had a person say to me two days ago we don't need it. Well that person's the same age as me. His kids are grown up and his grandkids don't live here in Orange. What he's doing is thinking very selfishly about what he wants. The young people in our community ... it's about the future of Orange and its young people."
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