Preston Beach has welcomed a new and improved community centre, providing a hub for local businesses and community groups.
The $750,000 facility boasts expanded floor space, additional toilets, a store room, kitchen facilities and access for people with disabilities.
As well as functioning as a critical evacuation centre during fire emergencies, the hall will also provide a venue for local meetings and events and bookable office space for community members or visiting services.
The local tourist destination has 250 permanent residents and welcomes as many as 2000 visitors a day during the summer months.
Murray-Wellington MP Robyn Clarke joined Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan at the site on September 6 to officially open the new centre.
This is a centre that will service the great community of Preston Beach for many years to come, providing a meeting place where everyone is welcome in this vibrant and exciting space.
- Murray-Wellington MP Robyn Clarke
Ms Clarke said it was important to deliver on improved community services and amenities in her district.
"This is a fantastic day for our Preston Beach community," she said.
"The dedication of everyone involved has been wonderful to see, and the community and Shire of Waroona staff should be proud of what they have accomplished.
"This is a centre that will service the great community of Preston Beach for many years to come, providing a meeting place where everyone is welcome in this vibrant and exciting space."
Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the hall would help to foster connections in the region, among many other benefits.
"Communities need innovative spaces that are able to meet a range of needs and our investment has provided that facility for Preston Beach," she said.
"The new Preston Beach Community Centre looks fantastic and is a testament to the great work of everyone who have been involved in the project."
Read more:
The construction of the facility supported 14 local jobs and used local suppliers to provide many of the materials required.
Federal Member for Canning Andrew Hastie said the community hall would bring a wave of both economic and social benefits to the regional town.
"The new hall will be used as a meeting place to hold events and markets, run workshops and training courses and host social activities," he said.
"By replacing the previous community centre with a new and improved facility almost three times bigger, this project will bring the Preston Beach community together like never before.
"The new hall can also be used for visiting medical and professional services, and as an operations centre for emergency services during bushfires."
Shire of Waroona president Mike Walmsley noted the multiple benefits the project delivered.
"The new community hall will be beneficial not only for residents of Preston Beach, it will be used by the wider community of the Shire of Waroona and visitors and tourists who attend events here," he said.
"It will also serve a vital role in providing a venue for emergency management, should the need arise."
The state government shelled out $275,000 for the project with Lotterywest contributing a further $234,000 and the federal government's Building Better Regions fund providing $95,000.
Alcoa also invested an additional $50,000 and the Shire of Waroona allocated almost $93,000 to the facility.
