Major donors for the Fraser Park redevelopment mixed with representatives of various groups who will use the multisport facility as work commenced on the $8.1 million project.

Demolition work has signalled the start of the redevelopment of Fraser Park just a few days after a $500,000 grant from the Timaru District Council kicked the $8.1 million fundraising campaign closer to its goal.

The newly-elected Timaru District council has decided to give $500,000 to the trust upgrading Timaru’s Fraser Park, following a desperate plea by the trust spearheading the redevelopment.

The multi-million-dollar cost of upgrading Timaru’s Fraser Park to a multi-sport and event centre has surged by more than $500,000 with Covid-19 and increased global material costs being blamed.

Timaru North Rotary has given its support to the Fraser Park Community Trust’s development projects.

A planned $7.5 million redevelopment of Alpine Energy Stadium received the biggest handout from the Timaru District Council’s stimulus fund on Tuesday.
The Fraser Park Community Trust, which runs the facility, received $905,000 of the $1.85 million available as council culled 20 funding applications back to 10 successful projects.
Council established the stimulus fund to help community projects which were otherwise struggling for funding due to limited avenues in the wake of Covid-19.
Trust chairman Brent Isbister told councillors that, should the upgrade go ahead, there was the potential to turn it into a proper multi-sport venue, rather than one that just catered to rugby.
“We've had conversations around football, particularly women's football, and junior cricket, and also softball,” Isbister said.
“The design of the facility is multi-sport, we’re looking at future-proofing it for all events.”
Isbister told council that unless it got a significant amount of funding from the council, it would be difficult to get extra funding from other grants such as the Lotteries Foundation. The redevelopment also received a $500,000 kickstart from Trust Aoraki when the project was officially launched in April 2019.
The other successful applicants were the Levels Raceway Resealing Project ($62,000), Tennis South Canterbury Court Resurfacing Project at the Trust Aoraki Centre ($158,451), Geraldine Domain Redevelopment ($199,920), Re-roofing of the main building at the Winchester Domain/Showgrounds ($11,987) South Canterbury Bike Skills Park ($73,658), Central South Island Cycle Trail ($226,358), South Canterbury Traction Engine & Transport Museum ($117, 706), C-Play Timaru ($77,867) and a host of Temuka projects ($16,524).

Credit - Timaru Herald