Phoenix P-12 College will receive two new indoor competition-grade basketball courts and have existing tennis courts relocated under an election promise from the Andrews Labor Government.
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The $11.7 million promise is good news not just for the school but for the Sebastopol and Delacombe communities and Ballarat Basketball who have helped drive the project to expand the number of competition courts across the city.
Education minister James Merlino visited Phoenix to open stage three of the school’s rebuild which includes a grade five and six learning village, a new materials technology building, new gym and a music and performing arts area.
The new gym includes a single court competition-grade court which will become home for some of the Ballarat Miners teams.
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“Here in the Ballarat region, in sports like basketball, the pressure on council, state government, schools and the basketball association to keep up with demand is just extraordinary,” Mr Merlino said.
“In the past when schools built a gym they didn’t need to make it competition grade so you’ve got gyms where you can play social basketball but can’t play community competitive grade sport which has really limited our ability to ensure our schools become a hub in the community, so now whenever we upgrade a gym or build a new one it must be competition grade.”
“We have seen this college grow from something that was getting pretty worn and rundown to what it is today, not just for our students, not just for Sebastopol and Delacombe but for the Ballarat community,” said Phoenix principal Karen Snibson.
Mr Merlino also made an election promise of $3.5 million for Mount Rowan Secondary College to upgrade facilities including the gym, music block and a new synthetic court.
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