The first sod was turned last Friday signifying the beginning of a new chapter in the Rodney Park Village History. Shepparton Villages Life Member and Rodney Park Village pioneer, Barry Campbell marked the beginning of the new $20 million redevelopment of the residential aged care facilities in Mooroopna with a ceremonial sod turning last week.
The newly developed building, to be known as Mooroopna Place, will be ran by Shepparton Villages and will include an additional 10 residential care beds, bringing the total to 100. Mooroopna Place is part of a 9.5ha site located along Knight Street, Mooroopna, and was the previous site for Waratah Lodge, Grevillea Lodge and Boronia House. Residents from those facilities were relocated to Hakea Lodge and Maculata Place at Tarcoola late last year.
AW Nicholson Construction is set to begin redevelopment of the site in June, committing to provide employment for more than 150 people throughout the course of the build, expected to be finished in September 2020.
Hot water will be supplemented to the new Aged Care Facility via the use of rooftop solar panels, with provisions being made for an 80kW solar photovoltaic array of almost 278 panels that will generate around a third of the facility’s daytime power needs and reduce the carbon footprint by many tonnes yearly.
Shepparton Villages CEO, Kerri Rivett said, “The sod turning is symbolic of the redevelopment works that we will be undertaking here in Mooroopna. The build will involve the demolition and rebuild of the oldest part of the building, formerly Waratah Lodge, and the total gutting and redevelopment of Boronia House and Grevillea Lodge.
“The end result will be a modernised home that caters to the changing needs of those coming in to care and respects the model of care we run at Shepparton Villages, which centres around consumer choice, respect and dignity.”
Mooroopna Place is the second significant project and investment that Shepparton Villages has made over the last three years, with the completion of the $34 million Maculata Place in Shepparton opening in October last year.
