Free community event to celebrate greener reserve in Edwardstown

The City of Marion is celebrating the completion of a ‘greener’ area of open space in Edwardstown with a free community event at the upgraded Weaver Street Reserve this Saturday afternoon.

The event starts at noon and runs until 1.30 pm and includes a free sausage sizzle cooked by the Lions Club of Edwardstown, a coffee van, face painting, art activities and ‘Come and Try’ basketball activities.

The upgrade of Weaver Street Reserve cost just over $570,000 with the Australian Government contributing $315,345 and the City of Marion funding the remaining $257,344.

“Edwardstown is one of the most densely populated and hottest suburbs in our Council area, with the lowest tree canopy, so when we went to upgrade Weaver Street Reserve we made a deliberate choice to reduce hard surfaces, remove tennis courts and make it a greener space,” Mayor of Marion Kris Hanna said.

“We’ve planted 30 new deciduous trees and more than 500 native plants to help improve the area’s microclimate and strengthen the biodiversity in the area.”

Federal Member for Boothby Louise Miller-Frost said: “The Weaver Street Reserve upgrade is a testament to the strong partnership between the Federal Government and the City of Marion.”

“The newly added features, including the landscaped pathways, shaded play area, and vibrant nature-inspired elements, create an inviting environment for community activity in and around Edwardstown.

“I am excited to see the positive impact these upgrades will have on our community's well-being.”

Design references from the new deciduous trees can be found in the nature play area in the reserve with autumn leaf carvings on timber poles and autumn leaf pavement graphics.

The reserve also has a meandering, shared-use path linking the three different play spaces and the full-size, multi-use sports court.

Other features of the reserve include:

• A new picnic area with a barbeque, drinking fountain, picnic setting and seating wall
• A fenced, full-sized multi-use basketball and tennis court with a netball practice ring
• An autumn-inspired junior nature play area with tepees and stepping logs
• A climbing tower with a 4m-high tube slide
• A fenced junior play area covered by a shade sail with a seesaw, spinner, swing and bench seat
• New pathways
• An irrigated turf area
• Garden beds

The free community celebration will run from 12 pm to 1.30 pm on Saturday, June 24, and will feature a sausage sizzle, coffee van, face painting, art activities and ‘Come and Try’ basketball activities.

Image: A new 4m high tube slide is one of the features of the upgraded Weaver Street Reserve at Edwardstown.