By Jed Lanyon
Lilydale SES will benefit from $102,600 from a state government grant that will see improvements to the facilities and infrastructure to aid volunteers in the community.
Lilydale VICSES will receive upgrades to their electrical power board to ensure compliance, rectification of front car park gravel to improve drainage to the unit’s main carpark, and ensure mud and rocks are not damaging internal headquarters.
The investment will enable volunteer emergency services agencies to carry out urgent maintenance, repairs and upgrades to extend the life and improve safety of their existing facility and asset portfolios and provide support to Victorian businesses and workers affected by the downturn in the Victorian economy caused by the pandemic.
Unit controller Shaun Caulfied said the funding would make the SES facilities more accessible.
“We’re using a large portion of the funding to pave our front car park. At the moment it’s basically gravel, and it becomes rutted and water runs through it.
“The remaining amount will be used to update internal amenities like toilets and laundry as well as new flooring.”
Mr Caulfied said the mud and gravel of the car park had cut up the flooring of the SES headquarters requiring it to be replaced.
“The toilets are the same ones used since 1972 or whenever our building was first built. They’re a bit outdated and certainly don’t have any accessibility features.
“It’s great to be able to put this money towards these vital projects to make our building more accessible and bring it up to speed, while making amenities nicer for member to make the volunteering experience a bit nicer.”
The project is among 125 projects sharing in $20 million in funding under the Emergency Services Refurbishment Fund, as part of the government’s $2.7 billion Building Works package.
Projects will commence in the coming weeks at local Country Fire Authority brigades, Victoria State Emergency Service units, Life Saving Victoria clubs and Marine Search and Rescue flotillas across Victoria. Agencies are engaging businesses from their local communities to undertake the work and to supply equipment and materials.
The funding will be administered by the Community Safety Building Authority, which oversees infrastructure projects on behalf of the Department of Justice and Community Safety.
