A Dubbo-based building contractor has made a fast start out of the blocks as it works on the $6.1 million redevelopment of Barden Park.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
David Payne Constructions (DPC) had by yesterday dug a series of five-metre deep pier holes for the 645-seat grandstand.
The progress made since just last week was enthusiastically welcomed by proponents of the Barden Park Centre of Excellence in Athletics who gathered at the oval yesterday.
The construction certificate for the project funded by the three levels of government was obtained last week and it had benefited from the fine weather.
DPC site manager John Stoddard aimed to have the piers done by Friday.
The team would then move on to the in-ground plumbing and electrical services for the grandstand, which will be a two-storey building with covered seating for 523 people, covered disabled seating for 12 and concrete seating for 110.
DPC had contracted a lot of local workers already and wanted to keep doing that, Mr Stoddard said.
Five workers were hard at it yesterday and as the project progressed, up to 40 people would be at the site, he said.
The experienced site manager anticipated work on the track - the region's first international-standard synthetic athletics track - would start early next year.
Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson listened with interest to Mr Stoddard's update.
"It's moving along, a good local company is doing good work," he said later.
There had been much talk about the economic and sports benefits the facility would bring and it was great to see physical signs of construction, he said.
Council sporting facilities manager Wes Giddings said it was exciting that the project had moved from "a piece of paper" to the actual ground.
Dubbo Athletics Club president David Williams said everyone could see the facility was "really taking shape" after a lot of lead-up work.
