Dubbo Turf Club is fighting its way out of financial strife with an ambitious $850,000 expansion - paid for in part by Dubbo's ratepayers. The turf club has of late been running at a loss but president Bill Kelly thinks it can back a winner through expanding its function room to cater for more than 80 people. "Anyone who has tried to organise a wedding in this town knows how hard it is to get a venue and we have a lot to offer here," Mr Kelly said. Dubbo City Council - which is trustee of the land - thinks the expansion is a sound business plan. On Monday night councillors voted to give the turf club $200,000 towards the extension and another $150,000 as an interest-free loan. Mayor Allan Smith justified the decision saying there is no possibility of the community losing its investment. "If anything did happen the asset remains the asset of the people of Dubbo - it can't go off and be sold to someone else," Mayor Smith said. The new deal also includes a trade off for council where the turf club will give up a parcel of land in return for the $200,000. That parcel of land is needed to connect Yarrandale Road and Wheelers Lane - taking truck-traffic away from Lourdes Hospital, Holy Spirit Retirement Village, the university and Dubbo College Senior Campus. Initially the Turf Club was reluctant to give up their land and a small tunnel - costing approximately $200,000 - was to be built under the race-course. Now that the tunnel isn't needed the club will be given the $200,000 for their redevelopment. "The Turf club's had a good outcome but so has the community," Mayor Smith said. "The facility will keep operating, Dubbo gets a new function centre and we're able to put our traffic plan into place." The Turf club plans to raise the rest of the money through a regional partnership grant worth $300,000 from the Federal Government and their current life-membership recruitment drive. chrisanthi.giotis@ruralpress.com