Repairs at Waimate

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33917, 9 August 1975, Page 8

Repairs at Waimate

GV Z. Press Association) TIMARU. Racing in Waimate will continue and facilities at the .course; will be repaired as soon as possible. Trustees of the Waimate Racecourse and representatives of the joint grounds committee decided on this at a special meeting on Thursday. The Waimate Racecourse buildings were among the most badly damaged in the town in the recent storm. The trustees want to dispel previous reports that file future of the course is in doubt. The chairman of the trustees, Mr R. T. Henderson, said that the training facilities and the tower which housed the photofinish camera and judges were hard hit. The training section of the course had been restored, and the tower demolished.

The tower was taken down as a safety precaution on the advice of structural engineers. “This was the most vital part of the course that had to be replaced,” Mr Henderson said.

Quotes had been obtained to repair the damage, particularly to the tower, but the trustees did not know the extent of the monetary loss yet because it depended on estimates from the building contractor. Damage to other parts of the course -was superficial and amounted to replacements of iron on grandstand roofs. Loose boxes were also demolished.

The trustees expect the course to be ready for the Waimate Trotting Club’s meeting in December.