Council’s General Manager Adrian Butler is to authorise council staff to formulate an agreement that would take effect immediately, on acceptance by Corowa Rutherglen Football Netball Club, that would allow the club immediate access to continue all works required to make the rooms at John Foord Oval useable.
In moving the successful motion at council’s latest monthly meeting on October 22, Cr Pat Bourke said this action would remove council as the governing body and the onus and work would be carried out (and liability for volunteers and work) by the club.
As immediate past mayor of Federation Council, Cr Bourke was chairing the meetings of the John Foord Oval Facilities Consultative Committee.
He said the committee passed a motion yesterday (October 21) which is going to be in a report for council’s next meeting, that the asset be handed back to the club and that proper changerooms can again be the situation at John Foord Oval.
“This is an opportune time for this motion to happen now. If we don’t accelerate this then the club will continue to pay approximately $6,000 a month for portable use or $72,000 a year out of insurance money pledged to the football club,” Cr Bourke said.
Corowa Rutherglen Football Netball Club President Graham Hosier welcomed council’s motion. “You can’t operate a club without clubrooms – or you can’t operate a club without clubrooms the way you want to,” he told The Free Press.
“It’s been something players and supporters miss, with the intermingling - the bonding altogether.
“It will be just wonderful to get all the supporters and players back again.”
With local trades and volunteers in mind, the club is ready to have back what it has missed – the clubrooms – as soon as the agreement is signed.