Construction at the Lucas Community Hub has moved quickly with the frame of a new early learning centre erected at the site.
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Ballarat company AW Nicholson Pty Ltd have installed the building frame as part of a project that will deliver 66 kindergarten places for the burgeoning suburb.
There are two kindergartens planned for the build at the Lucas housing estate in Ballarat’s west.
Ballarat mayor Samantha McIntosh said the project would move the area forward.
“What we are seeing out here is significant development – it is in response to our population growth.
“It is a very smart way of delivering to the new population.
“They will move out here for these facilities, and that is why we are working with our local developers, to ensure there are facilities on the ground for when people move in.”
The early learning centre and Lucas Community Hub have been funded by $2.4 million from Ballarat City Council and $1.6 million from the state government.
It will be build at Coltman Plaza and include;
- Two kindergartens rooms with 66 places
- Three maternal and child health consulting room
- Occasional care for the kindergarten program
- Consulting rooms for visiting services such as early childhood intervention and family support services
- Multi-purpose community meeting space and informal spaces for playgroups, lifelong learning programs and parenting groups
Cr McIntosh said the area had deliberately designed wide streetscapes and footpaths to match the rest of Ballarat.
“We want to make sure all Ballarat has some degree of synergy and personality,” she said.
“The structure is looking interesting and it is quite a spectacular, modern building which has some really great reflections of Ballarat history and the history of the Lucas ladies incorporated into the build.
It is scheduled to open in January 2018.
An open day will see the centre open to the public from 10am to 12pm on Saturday, June 17.
Cr McIntosh said the Lucas Community Hub would provide a new meeting space for residents in the estate.
“It is a fantastic project under construction and really pumping along," she said.