Forbury Park Trotting Club's new general manager, Paul
Knowles, stands on the site of the old stewards' stand,
where the park's new administration building is likely to
be built. Photo by Craig Baxter.
Forbury Park's ageing buildings will be reassessed and a
new administration building will be built in a modernisation
drive that could culminate in a bid for the Harness Jewels.
The Jewels is a one-day series of nine races featuring New
Zealand's highest stake-earning age-group pacers and
trotters.
It is regarded as one of the most prestigious events on the
horse-racing calendar.
Consultants are due to present plans for an up to $750,000
administration building on the site of the former stewards'
stand, which was demolished in December 2009.
The 14-room building will include offices for club and racing
officials, an ambulance room and a blood-testing room.
It could be built from September.
The construction would follow three frustrating years in
which the Forbury Park Trotting Club struggled to plan for
its future, club general manager Paul Knowles said yesterday.
It had been preoccupied with a now-abandoned proposal to
relocate to Wingatui and the subsequent sale of Forbury Park
land, before spending $180,000 to demolish the stewards'
stand.
The club considered first building a new two-storey stand
before settling on a single-storey building.
The club's management board reviewed the running of the club,
and its chief executive, Ian Woodhouse, resigned in March
last year.
The building would be a break from uncertainty and would be
part of the long-term development of the park, whose club was
the country's fourth biggest by racing dates.
The club had to reassess its ageing and "tired" facilities if
it wanted to attract "decent-sized" crowds and a "decent"
racing series, Mr Knowles said.
That reassessment might come with a big price tag:
demolishing the main stand could cost about $800,000 even
before any building work took place, he said.
There was no way the park would ever host the Interdominions
- but Mr Knowles could see no reason why it should not bid
for New Zealand's richest race series.
Mr Knowles acknowledged sponsorship had been "quite low", but
the club "was not broke.
We've got money, and we have to look forward."
He was also confident the club could afford the
administration block as a first step towards improving the
park and its long-term security.
The new building would be built within a nine-month window.
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