Stadium seeks cash to repair damage

Stadium Southland is seeking more than $1 million extra funding a year from local bodies and trusts to pay for long-term maintenance and repair damage that could have been prevented.

Water damage to ceiling panels and a corroded entrance porch are among repairs identified in an asset management plan prepared for the facility.

The plan estimates essential maintenance and repairs needed to maintain a world-class facility for the next 40 years, according to stadium general manager Nigel Skelt.

He said that although work on general wear and tear had been funded, money to undertake bigger work was unavailable.

"We had no excess funding and no reserve pool to do those jobs ... any of the big-ticket items we haven't had that base pool of funding to do that," he said.

The stadium has asked for funding totalling $500,000 from Invercargill City Council, $400,000 from the Invercargill Licensing Trust, $200,000 from the Community Trust of Southland and $50,000 from Southland District Council.

At a meeting yesterday, the district council approved adding the annual funding to the Long Term Council Community Plan for consideration early next year.

If approved, the funding would add an extra $3.30 to household rates across the Southland district.

Councillors were generally supportive of the request, viewing the stadium as an important asset to the wider Southland commu-nity.

"I think it's an excellent idea, it's a wonderful venue for Southland and I think we must support it," Cr Wallace Jack said.

However, Cr Ridley expressed concern over damage to such a new building.

"Some of that, it's not really old, that some of it has to be replaced is kind of sad."

Chief executive David Adamson said some of the repairs "indicated that it could have been prevented by correct procedures" but did not blame the stadium as the funding was lacking.

- © Fairfax NZ News