Athletes in the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale will soon receive new sporting grounds as construction has officially begun at Keirnan Park.
Last Thursday, local sporting groups joined the construction workers as shire president Rob Coales and Member for Darling Range Hugh Jones, who was representing the sporting minister, broke the ground.
Located in Mundijong, the site has started to undertake stage one of construction which will include the building of two ovals complete with floodlights, multiple cricket nets, a 1500 square metre pavilion with change rooms and a covered viewing area, and three car parks to hold 213 bays.
Mr Coales said he was excited to finally see the project be lifted off the ground and progress being made to the developments.
“This has been a project, a very, very long time in the making,” he said.
“I’m really excited we’re here at Keirnan Park this afternoon to mark this very important milestone.
“To the wonderful community groups here, it has been a long journey, and it’s lucky we’ve got some young footballers here because you will be able to kick a footy on this oval in the not so distance future.
“It’s about the community coming together, and young people and all people coming together to experience and enjoy each other’s company and playing sports.”
Mr Coales said the sporting facility building process has been a “very challenging and frustrating journey”, but when complete will be an asset for the SJ community.
“It’s a milestone day as we started something really exciting for the community,” he said.
“This takes a long time, but it’s going to be worth it in the end.
“Today, we’re going to break ground here at Keirnan Park, and it’s really a special, momentous moment.
“The project has been the product of a tremendous amount of work and seeing it officially underway is something we can all be really proud of.
“It’s going to be a space that brings people together and supports our rapidly growing community.”
The building contract, which was worth $25.7 million, was awarded to Civcon Civil and Project Management in March this year, after the proposal for the precinct was approved in August 2020 by the State Government.
Mr Jones said Keirnan Park sporting facilities would bring great benefit for many local community and sporting groups.
“It’s great to see the young kids here, to see the beneficiaries for many years to come of the facilities here.
“I recognised the shire of SJ was fast growing, and there was a bit of shortage of recreational space in the area, and so I was really glad to get behind it,” he said.
“The sporting groups, SJ Blues, Mundijong Centrals seniors and juniors, the SJ Netball Club, and the Byford Bushrangers were integral to the feasibility study and raised a lot of money themselves.
“I really look forward to the opening of Keirnan Park and to the adoption by the sports clubs.”
The project has a budget of $35.2 million, made up of $22 million funding from the State Government, $10.6 million from developer contributions, and $2.6 million funded by the Shire.
Minister for sport and recreation Rita Saffioti said the new precinct will benefit many types of sporting groups within the Serpentine Jarrahdale community.
“Sporting precincts form such an important part of our communities, particularly in our suburbs,” she said.
“These improvements will be a significant boost to the Serpentine Jarrahdale community with a range of sport and recreation facilities that will benefit active lifestyles.
“This precinct is much needed by this growing community and our government is committed to supporting these types of developments that support local needs.”
The completed precinct is expected to open by December 2027 with a total size of 63 hectares.
