Roof replacement at stadium under way
The $50 million redevelopment of the earthquake prone Yarrow Stadium has hit another milestone with work under way to replace the roof on the West Stand.
The Taranaki Regional Council said completing the replacement in 12 to 16 weeks would see the refurbishment project on track for a planned reopening of the stand for the 2022 winter sports season.
The potential June 2022 completion date is well behind estimates first made after the stadium’s two grandstands were declared earthquake-prone in 2017 and 2018 and the council decided on the $50m refurbishment in 2019.
When the project master plan was released in November 2020, it was hoped rugby could return to the stadium in mid-2021, with spectators watching from the repaired West Stand.
But in February 2021, council chairman David MacLeod said the completion date for the West Stand repairs was now projected to be November 2021. Now, it will be anywhere from May to early June.
When the West Stand does open, new LED lighting and hybrid Grass Master turf will also be in place at the stadium.
MacLeod said although the initial refurbishment plans called for the repair of the West Stand roof, a peer-reviewed structural engineering report recommended the replacement. So the council decided to replace, rather than repair, which was a normal variation during this phase of a construction process, he said.
‘‘Importantly, replacement also remains within the original project budget, so it is a win-win all round for the people of Taranaki.’’
Replacing the roof mitigates the likelihood of future risks or unforeseen issues, MacLeod said.
‘‘We are excited that the people of Taranaki will have their Yarrow Stadium back again soon as a functioning facility in time for the resumption of winter sports.’’
As part of the redevelopment, the East Stand was demolished and will be rebuilt. The new East Stand is forecast to open in 2024.
The council has previously promised the refurbishment project will not break the $50m budget, $20m of which has come from Government funding, but that tweaks to the design made be made to stay within the financial constraints.