23 September 2010
Stadium to extend hours
Stadium Southland will extend its operating hours from next week to cater for an expected increase in demand for the ILT Velodrome.
General manager Nigel Skelt said he was adamant the needs of the community would continue to be met where possible despite the limited facilities now available at the Surrey Park venue after heavy snowfall caused Stadium Southland’s roof to collapse last weekend.
“We may not have the actual stadium, but with four community courts and the velodrome itself we still have fantastic world-class facilities available to be utilised,” he said.
“This site has been the hub of the Southland community for the past decade and we are determined it will remain as that.
“But we are in a day-to-day management situation and we will be in that mode for a while yet … if we’re not getting something right, people need to tell us.”
Hours of operation will now be from 7am to 11pm every day, seven days a week.
Additional stadium staff were also back on duty today in preparation for the annual Dunkley’s Great New Zealand Craft Show, which begins tomorrow (Friday) and will run from 10am to 4pm until Sunday.
Cyclists have also been invited to use the velodrome from 12-2pm tomorrow – an extended lunch roll which will be free to Cycling Southland members to celebrate track sessions resuming.
“It will be a fantastic display of sport merging with the culture of the community,” Skelt said.
While the velodrome’s courts were not set up for specific sports, Skelt said the stadium was working closely with individual codes to ensure their own programmes continued where possible.
“For example, we have made a commitment to Southland Basketball that they will be able to run mini-ball every Tuesday from 4pm to 7pm and have now ordered backboards to make it happen,” he said.
“Cycling Southland has continued its support by agreeing to keep the nets down around the velodrome – and they are a reflection of the united support and flexibility we’ve had from all of the codes. It’s just fantastic.”
Cycling Southland chief executive Nick Jeffrey said while the stadium collapse was devastating, sporting organisations had embraced the opportunity to work together.
“It’s given sports organisations the opportunity to get alongside each other and work to one collective end goal, instead of operating individually,” he said.
“There’s a great sharing of ideas and concepts and the end result is nothing but positivity.”
The staging of this weekend’s craft show just days after the stadium disaster proved what could be achieved by working together.
“Our riders may have the smell of potpourri wafting past their noses as they whiz around the track … but there will be a large crowd in the centre of the velodrome and that presents a great opportunity to showcase our sport to a new audience,” Jeffrey said.
With thousands expected to flock to the popular craft show, Skelt said safety would be paramount.
“I’m sure the public will be curious to look at what remains of the stadium but they also need to remember the building remains in a precarious situation as the process of clearing the site continues and please respect the fact we have safely barriers in place for a reason,” he said.
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