Construction has officially started on the new Fernadell Park Community Centre, with a sod-turning ceremony this week marking the beginning of one of Pitt Town’s most anticipated projects.
Hawkesbury City Council hosted the event, drawing a crowd that included 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. Together they turned the first sod on a building that has been years in the making.
Guests were taken on a walk through the site, past a playground already taking shape, freshly laid turf, a new connecting footpath, and car park works still underway. It was enough to give visitors a real sense of what the finished centre will look like once the doors open.
Mayor Sheather called the milestone the start of an exciting new chapter for Fernadell Park, one he said was long overdue for the Pitt Town community. He described the future centre as a welcoming space where residents of all ages can gather, connect and take part in a range of activities.
Hon. Peter Primrose backed that sentiment, saying the Fernadell Park Masterplan was great news not just for Pitt Town but for the wider Hawkesbury community, and that the new facilities would encourage healthy, outdoor activity in a place already loved by locals and visitors alike.
Susan Templeman, who has followed the project’s progress through the development of the park’s sporting fields, playgrounds and walking paths, said she was proud to see $6.69 million in federal funding through the Australian Government’s Thriving Suburbs program helping turn what has been a long-held community vision into reality. She pointed to the project as a clear example of what the program is meant to deliver: practical infrastructure that improves connectivity and liveability for local communities.
The centre will sit on the corner of Fernadell Drive and Stables Street within Fernadell Park, with direct access to nearby off-street parking and the park’s surrounding facilities.
