Still looking for a site, Ballarat Courier, Ballarat VIC

BALLAN residents are no closer to learning what will become of the new CFA training facility set to be built in the area. Months after the shock decision to close the Fiskville facility, no new information is available about what sort of training centre will be constructed or where it will be located. The Courier contacted Minister for Emergency Services Jane Garretts office for an update on the new facility, however, mystery still surrounds what will be included in a new facility. The government is continuing to work closely with the CFA and the Moorabool Council to secure a suitable site in the Ballan area, government spokeswoman Holly Little said. CFA is leading the investigation of new land and is assessing a number of options for the new hot fire training facility. The community of Ballan has been left reeling from the closure with a fear evolving that any new facility would not include the hospitality facilities that existed at Fiskville. It was these facilities that made the site one of the towns biggest employers. A total of $300,000 was included in the last Victorian Budget for planning for a new facility, however, no funding has been set aside for construction. Only weeks ago a number of local tradespeople met with Opposition emergency services spokesman Brad Battin to discuss the financial problems they were already facing in the town. With local businesses already starting to see the financial impact on Ballan, the lack of details could put the projects construction a long way off into the future. The CFA board unanimously recommended the closure of the Fiskville facility after the results of about 550 tests at the notorious site were revealed. The results showed that while the drinking water and showers were clear of contamination, high levels of toxic chemicals were found around the fire training area and a new zone at the site where chemicals had not been previously detected. Ms Garrett visited the town earlier this year where she was met with a large group of local residents who were both angry and upset at the closure decision and its handling. The site is also currently the focus of a Victorian parliamentary inquiry which focuses on a number of allegations that cancer cases and other illnesses were linked to the use of water contaminated by chemicals at the site. The local CFA branch have been fighting to have the Fiskville facility, which has had millions of dollars spent on its rehabilitation, reopened.