NEWCASTLE councillors will vote on accepting a tender for upgrades to a popular sporting field in Hamilton North.
The council will consider a tender at the May 28 council meeting for the construction of the Smith Park sports fields upgrade.
But the site has also been earmarked as a future flood retention basin in the recently released Broadmeadow Place Strategy.
The first stage of the Smith Park works include the realignment of football, Oztag and cricket fields to meet the relative field of play dimensions, realignment of the synthetic cricket wickets, installation of drainage and irrigation and new turf.
The works are scheduled to be undertaken between June and December 2024.
A future stage not included in the tender would comprise a community building, upgrade of the Parkside Avenue car park, footpaths, upgraded landscaping and lighting, a proposed multi-sports court and upgrade of cricket practice nets.
The scope for delivery across the two stages was outlined in a masterplan adopted for the site.
Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said she was "very pleased" the plans were progressing.
"The first stage is being delivered by council with support from a $2.5 million grant secured by the Newcastle Junior Cricket Association through the NSW government's Multi-Sport Community Facility Fund," she said.
The site fits within the footprint of the Broadmeadow Place Strategy, which Newcastle councillors will also vote on Tuesday to publicly exhibit.
The strategy says Smith Park "will continue to be a destination for the local community as a local sports field, however, it will also have a role in managing water storage during certain flood events".
A proposed "key move" in the strategy is to create a detention basin at Smith Park by lowering sports field.
However the move could be years away depending on the pace of development in the area and need for flood mitigation.
The council's 2020 Strategic Sport Plan recommended optimisation of the park's field layout for cricket, football and Oztag, an upgrade of fields and amenities, and installation of lighting.
