A sporting project more than 30 years in the works is coming to fruition, with the new Northam artificial hockey turf to be completed and ready for games in the coming weeks.
The project, part funded by the Northam Hockey Club, the Shire of Northam and in-kind works, reached a new milestone with the asphalt being laid last week at the Bert Hawke Oval site.
Northam Hockey Club turf fundraising coordinator Cec McConnell said the turf project had been a long time coming.
"We've had a turf fund for the last 20 to 30 years, but the ball really started rolling around four years ago," she said.
"We were really successful with some sponsorship and funding. It's been the work of a great deal of people."
Ms McConnell said the new playing surface would provide professional opportunities for local players.
"The juniors compete again players in Perth on turf so their skills were always behind - this will literally put them on the same playing field," she said.
"For our middle range of players it will create a quicker and more exciting game and our veterans are really interested in coming back to play on it.
"Northam now has the chance to host some regional events, and because of our proximity to Perth we will hopefully see some games coming here."
Shire of Northam president Chris Antonio welcomed the works, that he said would compliment the rest of the Shire.
"We have just opened the skate park and youth precinct that have been bigger successes than anyone could have thought and we also have the aquatic centre which will be open for summer 2020," he said.
"We are getting state of the art facilities not only for our people but to attract national and international teams to play here."
The Shire of Northam council committed $400,000 to the project, with a significant contribution made from Supercivil, who are in the process of establishing themselves in Northam.
Shire of Northam engineering services executive manager Clinton Kleynhans said in-kind works and sponsorship had helped the progression of the turf.
"It is great to see Supercivil coming on board with this community project, along with other local companies Midalia Steel, GDR Civil, and Oasis Outdoor Structures and Main Roads Wheatbelt supplying gravel spoil," he said.
"Over the next few weekends paving works, drainage will be completed along with fencing by volunteers from the hockey club. The artificial turf playing surface is scheduled for mid-August and will take approximately three weeks."
The project is estimated to be completed in early to mid-September, with landscape works left to do.
