IN APRIL, Snowy Monaro Regional Council accepted $85,000 funding to contribute towards the upgrade of John Connors Oval light towers, a project the Jindabyne Rugby Union Club has been lobbying for more than three years now.

Jindabyne Rugby Union Club President Matt Want said there were a lot of things the club had to do to get this funding and they worked with Council over a long period of time to get this funding secured.

“It is fantastic that Council has been able to financially support this project as the club have worked hard to obtain a positive result,” Mr Want said.

“We put in a lot of hours and funds to get this project approved, things like gathering quotes and organising an engineering report which the club coordinated and funded ourselves.

“We have spent around $25,000 of our own club money in getting the necessary reports and works done to move this project ahead and in doing so uncovered that our initial thought that we could get new lights on the existing towers was not a possibility."

Mr Want said the engineering report showed that the towers were insufficient and were nearing the end of their lifespan and would need replacing as well. Council used funding through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program.

“This meant we had to work closely with Council to move forward and adapt the project to how we could successfully complete this project in its entirety,” Mr Want said.

In 2023, the Jindabyne Rugby Union Club were successful in receiving a grant from the Federal Government to upgrade the existing lighting structures at John Connors Oval, Jindabyne.

This grant provided $90,000 to replace the existing halogen light system at the oval with a new technology LED system that will reduce maintenance costs long term.

However, with engineering reports stating both the towers and lights need to be replaced the club did not have enough grant money to cover the entire cost and required an extra $85,000 in which Council were in support of.

“With local clubs in Jindabyne continuing to grow and the heavy use of the oval year round this upgrade will hugely benefit everyone in our community,” Mr Want said.

“With new lights means more opportunities for clubs when it comes to using the oval at any time of the day and night.

“It’s a fantastic result for the whole community.”

Once the finer details are ironed out and the funding becomes available to the club, there will be a 10 to 12 week lead time when it comes to completing the job.

Mr Want said the club hopes to have the plans finalised soon with the lights to be installed and completed by the end of the rugby season.

Through Mr Want and committee member Damon Partell spear heading the project, the Jindabyne JJ Connors Oval is set to be one of the region's premier ovals.