Work on the $3.1 million upgrade of the Queenstown Memorial Hall began today.

The project, which hit a stumbling block when the Lotteries Commission turned down an application for $800,000 worth of funding due to lack of council contribution, will start as planned following a unanimous decision by the Queenstown Lakes District Council to grant an additional $500,000 to the upgrade.

Queenstown Memorial Hall Trust trustees were delighted their hard work over the past 17 months was now coming to fruition.

‘‘It’s been a particularly frenetic last month and we are chuffed that this vital project is actually happening, thanks to huge community and Council support,’’ trust chair and councillor Cath Gilmour said.

Otago-based Arrow International was awarded a $2.1m contract to upgrade the hall in the centre of Queenstown on Friday after a closely contended tender process.

‘‘This is a fantastic community project that we are proud to be a part of. We understand the time and budget constraints, and will be working with the project management team and Queenstown Memorial Hall Trust to meet both,’’ Arrow International site construction manager Bruce Halligan said.

Funding for the project has been committed by: Central Lakes Trust $1m, Queenstown Lakes District Council $992,000, Community Trust of Southland $400,000 and the Queenstown community $378,309. The trust has yet to raise an additional $344,466 which the council has agreed to extend a loan to the trust to cover if required.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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