Fernadell Park Community Centre has moved from plans to reality, with a sod-turning ceremony this week marking the official start of construction on the long-awaited Pitt Town facility.
Hawkesbury City Council hosted the event, which drew Mayor Les Sheather, Government Spokesperson for Hawkesbury Hon. Peter Primrose MLC, Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman MP, Member for Hawkesbury Robyn Preston, and the President of the Pitt Town Progress Association to turn the first sod together.
Guests were taken on a tour of the site, passing a playground already being assembled, freshly laid turf, a new connecting footpath, and ongoing car park works. Between the progress on show and the crowd gathered to mark it, there was little doubt this project has genuine momentum behind it.
Mayor Sheather described the day as the start of an exciting new chapter for Fernadell Park, one that Pitt Town has waited too long for. He said the finished centre would give residents of all ages a welcoming place to gather, connect and get involved in local activities.
Hon. Peter Primrose said the wider Fernadell Park Masterplan was good news for Pitt Town and the whole Hawkesbury region, with the new facilities set to encourage healthy, outdoor activity at a site already well loved by locals and visitors.
Susan Templeman, who has watched the park’s sporting fields, playgrounds and walking paths take shape over recent years, said she was proud that $6.69 million in federal funding through the Australian Government’s Thriving Suburbs program was helping deliver a project the community has wanted for a long time. She said it was a clear example of the program doing exactly what it was designed to do: fund practical infrastructure that improves connectivity and liveability.
The completed centre will sit on the corner of Fernadell Drive and Stables Street within Fernadell Park, with off-street parking and the rest of the park’s facilities close by.