Spotlight is put on Town funds as McGregor Street field light replacement splits Hedland council

One of Port Hedland’s marquee sporting fields is getting an upgrade but some councilors have once again questioned whether enough thought is being put into how the Town uses its funds. At the June 28 ordinary council meeting, it was revealed Ertech would be the company to undertake the project to update the lighting system at the McGregor Street field. But the whole operation caused a stir among some councilors who questioned the usefulness of the upgrades and whether funds were being funnelled to the most important projects. Cr Ash Christensen challenged the council on the project and said they needed to consider that only a small variety of sports could be played on the small field. “What sports are going to be provided on this ground?” he said. “What sport can fit on that grass footprint?” The North West Telegraph reported on the council’s disagreement over the Koombana Lookout refurbishment when Cr Christensen questioned whether the funds would better used for projects in South Hedland. Again Cr Christensen said to the council more thought needed to be given on how the Town spent its funds. “It gets to the point where we have to be reasonable with the money that we are spending,” he said. Originally only the field’s lights, not the light poles, were going to be replaced as part of the Port Hedland Integrated Sports Hub project which was initiated in 2021. When the project was delayed until the 2036-37 financial year the decision was made to replace the poles as well as they would reach the end of their lifespan before the PHISH would begin. The project was awarded a $176,000 grant as part of the Department of Sport and Recreation’s Night Lights program. Cr Jan Gillingham said multiple sports clubs used the fields so there was a demand for the replacement but it needed to be done correctly. “I know that our staff will be watching this carefully to make sure that this is done correctly,” she said. “We can’t keep wasting money.” Cr David Eckhart agreed with Cr Chistensen and also questioned how much use the field would get. He said the only people who used the field were soccer teams and public fields needed to be able to host multiple sports. “We would get more value as a town if our public sporting fields were multi-use.” Cr Eckhart said lighting at this stage was not warranted. The council endorsed Ertech’s tender, with Cr Christensen and Cr Eckhart voting against the project, for the total amount of $488,400. If the project was not endorsed, the council would have been required to formally hand back the grant to the Department of Sport and Recreation.