Work on new centre starts ... finally

Construction of a new shopping centre in Bayonet Head kicked off last week after 11 years of preparation and red tape.

Picture by Laurie Benson: Investors Dominic Cuscuna and Sam Cuscuna, City of Albany’s Graeme Bride, former mayor of Albany Milton Evans, Wauters Enterprises’ Dean Wauters, architect Steve Irvine and Wauters chief executive Brett Joynes.

The Bayonet Head Shopping Centre project is the brainchild of Perth resident Sam Cuscuna, who has worked with the Shire of Albany, the City of Albany and various planners and architects to bring the project to fruition.

The centre is being constructed by Wauters Enterprises and it is expected to be complete by December 2012.

It will include a Woolworths supermarket and 12 specialty stores, which are yet to be named.

Wauters chief executive Brett Joynes said 95 per cent of the workforce would be sourced locally during the construction phase of the project.

“It will have up to 60 people working at any one time on the site and we will employ approximately 500 people directly on the site over the 12 months,” he said.

“The only part that is not locally employed is not available locally.

“It is a fairly significant project in the town and one that we are very pleased to be part of.”

Once completed, the centre will provide about 100 jobs.

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