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Clean slate for Youth Justice

South Australia's Youth Training Centre at Cavan gets a major overhaul

A major overhaul of South Australia’s Youth Justice System has called for a new 60-bed secure Youth Training Centre (YTC) at Cavan.

The new YTC development is located on a 7.7 hectare Greenfields site and will feature a range of educational and vocational facilities, including an open-style campus, recreational space and an on-site health centre.

McMahon Services was contracted by Hansen Yunken, serving as the Managing Builder Contractors, to complete the civil works package for the new Goldsborough Road site.

Starting with a blank canvas, the first task for the civil team involved site clearing, preparation and mulching of existing trees. Bulk excavation then commenced including the formation of swales, creeks, detention ponds and mounds.

Building plateaus were also constructed in layers using imported fill materials, with the site then ready for the preparation of levels for landscaping and surface treatments.

The design demanded the supply and placement of fill and subgrade to required levels for eleven buildings in total, along with pavements and landscaping, with a total of 6,500 square metres of concrete pavement used.

Also in the mix was subsidiary companies Ballestrin and ResourceCo who supplied and installed the concrete for the installation of all external concrete placements including building aprons and footpaths.

With the concrete down, the civil team then installed all kerbing, pram ramps, kerb and spoon and performed all preparation works for bitumen surfacing and decorative gravel pavements.

The site design also featured an Education Courtyard to be used for outside learning activities.  McMahon Services completed base preparation for a raised mound, seating and decorative concrete works, rubber softfall and all landscaping works along with the supply and installation of all decorative concrete pavement and seats.

Intract Indigenous Contractors were also on board to assist with the civil works during the preparation of the courtyard. The courtyard held Indigenous significance, with the design inspired by Aboriginal elders. Coloured brushrock stencil concrete, coloured exposed aggregate concrete and symbolic shapes were used to bring the vision to life.

McMahon Services were also contracted for the construction of a staff and visitors car park, internal service bays and internal roads from the supply and placement of ac10/30mm bitumen pavement, PM20 crushed rock and single size aggregate sterile zone pavement to all line marking.

The final stage was the installation of stormwater drainage which included concrete box culverts, rock headwalls, floodgates and lockdown pits/lids.

After ten months on site the team completed the detailed civil works despite wet weather conditions presenting several challenges.

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