A $1.5 MILLION sports pavilion is the centrepiece of the revised draft masterplan for McIvor Reserve in Yarraville.

The plan builds on the City of Maribyrnong’s initial 1998 designs and places a heavy emphasis on further amenity improvements such as shared paths, landscaped areas, sealed car parking, a new playground and new tree plantings.

A proposed warm-up or training area next to the Footscray Hockey Centre is also on the cards. The new area would complement a $415,000 council-funded renewal of the centre’s synthetic turf surface.

The council has already allocated $1.5 million over two years for the construction of the pavilion, but says the remainder of the plan depends on the availability of funds.

Wattle Ward councillor Michael Clarke unveiled the plans at a ward meeting late last month and said early community feedback had been positive.

“They were incredibly pleased that the council actually identified McIvor as an area that needs clear capital investment to upgrade the facilities that are there,” he said.

The meeting also saw Cr Clarke launch the Friends of McIvor Reserve group.

Co-convener Nick Georgiou said the group had 18 members sign up on the day. They were “tapping into” Friends of Cruickshank Park to see how they operated.

“At least if we start doing our homework now, then we can start contacting people who gave us their names and contact details and sit down with them and work it out,” he said. “You need to have a balance so that you’re looking at and addressing all the needs. I know some people might complain about rubbish being left at the end of the day, other people will complain about people not picking up after their dogs.”

Mr Georgiou, who frequently walks his dogs in the park, said he’d hate for sporting groups to complain because people were not picking up after their dogs.

He wants to see more bins and signs at entry points so that people could not use ignorance as an excuse.

“If you make it a lot more easier for people to have really accessible bags and bins, you’re sort of addressing that issue,” Mr Georgiou said.

Dog owners in the City of Maribyrnong face a $100 fine if they are caught without a bag or device to pick up their dogs’ droppings.

The reserve is a popular place for dog walkers because it is one of 12 areas in the municipality where dogs can be walked without a lead.

Residents have until 30 June to provide feedback on the draft masterplan.