Council seeking new name for the $39.1 million Mount Gambier Community and Recreation Hub.

Council is seeking suggestions from the community for a new name for the $39.1 million Mount Gambier Community and Recreation Hub. Up to five names will be shortlisted by Council and put to a community vote.

The Community and Recreation Hub is being developed as a multi-purpose community space with facilities and activities for all ages and abilities including children, families, youth, community groups, cultural activities, recreational and organised sports and those with special needs. It will be located at Olympic Park on Margaret Street Mount Gambier.

“Now that Federal and State capital funding for the project has been secured and we’ve turned the first sod on site, it is time to consider a new name for the facility that the community can really connect with,” City of Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin said.

“The Community and Recreation Hub will be the most significant recreational facility in our region with state-of-the-art aquatic, fitness, sports, cultural, youth, café and crèche facilities and it needs a name to reflect these attributes.”

To be considered, name suggestions must meet the following selection criteria:

• Communicate something meaningful,
• Distinctive, easy to remember, say and spell,
• Future oriented e.g. positioned for growth, change and success,
• Representative of the community and broader region,
• Reflective of the ancient or modern history of the site or region,
• The name does not represent an individual community member,
• The name is visual e.g. will lend itself to graphic presentation in a logo, in text and in brand architecture.

Mayor Martin encouraged the community to be creative when considering a potential name for the facility.

Perhaps people will consider suggesting a name that represents a part of our region or history, a clever acronym, or something else that will appropriately reflect the use of the community facility we will use for the next 50 years or so. - City of Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin

“It is important that the facility has a name and brand that reflects the aspirations of the community for the facility to be a place that people want to visit, experience and return to,” Regional Sport and Recreation Committee Presiding Member Ben Hood said.

Ideas and contributions can be submitted in the Community and Recreation Hub naming boxes located at the Civic Centre, Library and Main Corner Complex as well as online at www.haveyoursaymountgambier.com.au/CaRH from today, Wednesday 22 May 2019 until Sunday 23 June 2019.

All community feedback received will be assessed and a report identifying the key themes will be presented to the Regional Sport and Recreation Centre Committee for consideration.

“Up to five appropriate name submissions will be selected to progress to a community vote to decide on the winner,” Cr Hood said.

Once the name of the facility has been endorsed, the process of developing the brand will begin.

“The name will guide the brand and style guide. This will include a logo, uniforms, signage, promotional art work, digital artwork etc. to enable the brand to be implemented during each stage of development as required.”

Meanwhile, Community Reference Group (CRG) concepts for a 'Donor Recognition Project' and a 'Sensory Garden' that seek to include the community and provide a sense of involvement and ownership in relation to the facility were endorsed by Council at its meeting on Tuesday 21 May 2019.

“The CRG will independently promote and manage the two concepts, including a ‘named paver project’ that seeks to raise funds for social inclusion and access initiatives. The second concept is the inclusion of a ‘sensory garden’ in the landscaping of the completed Community and Recreation Hub,” Mayor Martin said.

“Council will investigate options for the inclusion of naming within the internal design with the architects, and the CRG will provide a detailed project plan and timelines for the initiatives to be endorsed by Council at a later stage.”

Work continues behind the scenes to deliver the largest infrastructure project Council has ever undertaken by the end of 2021.

For further information about the project, visit www.haveyoursaymountgambier.com.au/CaRH