Council moves on with repairs
A stadium in rural Waikato has been sitting vacant for close to a year, but no sports teams have had the privilege of playing there.
The Matamata-Piako District Council completed construction at Headon Stadium in Matamata in September 2020, but the timber floor was waterdamaged in a storm during level four lockdown in April 2020, and the complex remained empty.
Remedial work to dry the floor has been ongoing for the past six months, but while the moisture in the floor is now at an acceptable level, the damage to the surface is extensive and still requires further work.
District mayor Ash Tanner said, at a recent council meeting, it’s becoming a bit of a joke.
‘‘The building has been finished for nine months. This is supposed to be an exciting time for the people of Matamata to use the new building and it’s sitting there, with its doors shut.
‘‘I think we need to crank up the heat on the insurance company and find a solution because we’re losing a lot of credibility on it.
‘‘We’ve got to get it finished… just get it done.’’
Council has decided to remove the floor and replace it with a tongue and groove floor at an estimated cost of $130,000.
It is possible the concrete under the floor will need grinding and sealing, at an estimated cost of $21,000.
Work will commence in two months and take about five weeks to complete.
The dilapidated sports stadium was given a new breath of life with $1.9 million pumped into its upgrade.
The Western St stadium has been a heated topic in the district for years over whether to completely upgrade the facility for around $2m or do minimal maintenance of $480,000.
But with a pressing demand to fix the outdated and leaky building, the majority of councillors voted in favour of a major renovation due to start in November 2019.
After consultation, council decided to keep the original floor, due to its quality for indoor bowls, but demolish the roof and wall structures.
During construction, a temporary tent structure was built over the floor to protect it from the weather.
However, prior to the new external envelope becoming weather-tight and during level four lockdown when there was no-one on site, the tent was damaged in a storm and rainwater got into the floor.
A claim against council’s construction insurance was made for costs to dry the floor out.
The moisture in the floor reached acceptable levels, but the water damage is still present. The floor is uneven with cupping and gaps between the boards, some up to 10mm in width.
Morrinsville councillor James Thomas said it was really frustrating and embarrassing to have that empty building.
‘‘We owe it to the people of Matamata to do it and do it properly.’’
Council was advised by a sports floor specialist that the gaps in the floorboards should close up over time, however, that had not been the case.
It has since been determined that the floor is ‘‘at the point where it will not fully recover’’.
‘‘We’ve got to get it finished… just get it done.’’
Ash Tanner
Matamata-Piako District mayor