By JARROD POTTER
EDWIN Flack Athletics Track is now runner-ready with track works completed ahead of the 2015/’16 summer athletics season.
The City of Casey has dramatically upgraded the track, based at Berwick College, with $2 million worth of facility improvements.
The new-look venue features an eight lane synthetic track, eight grass lanes on the main straight as well as rubberised javelin, long/triple jump and high jump areas.
For spectators and officials, the works also included an added concrete walkway surrounding the track, a wheelchair ramp for disabled athletes and spectators.
An altered configuration, with the equipment shed moved off the infield, has also allowed for a greater high-jump area.
The biggest beneficiary of the works is the Casey Little Athletics Centre, which has been at the venue since 2001.
With the junior runners enjoying the first run around the fresh track on Saturday, as part of the centre’s first meet back at home, Casey LAC president Steve Woolfe said the works were a phenomenal boon for the area.
“It’s sensational for us – biggest win that we will ever have as a little athletics centre and biggest win the area of Berwick will have too,” Woolfe said.
“Number one is the safety – we’re not running over divots and pot holes, and now we’ve got first class facilities – kids are running on what they’ll need to run on at regional and state events and their times will be better.
“It’s the greatest investment and it’s come up so much better than we ever expected – I’d like to thank the council for realising they needed to spend the money here and spending it so we could turn this into the great facility that it now is.”
Casey Little Athletics Centre is celebrating the opening of the new look facility on Saturday 28 November with a twilight family fun day on the synthetic track, with the night ending with professional fireworks display.
For more information on Berwick area little athletics, contact the centre at www.caseylac.com.au.
