A grant of up to $3.735 million has been made by the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board to the $9.7 million restoration and redevelopment of the Opera House in Oamaru.
The grant was announced yesterday at a function in the Opera House by Internal Affairs Minister Rick Barker and comes from the board's new significant projects fund which is available to complete community projects.
That brings the fund-raising for the Waitaki District Council project to about $10 million, covering the construction cost of $9.7 million and allowing for extra fittings and furnishing.
The final amount of the grant will depend on what further funds may come in, an audit of the project and extra fittings or furnishings needed.
Mr Barker said the council had contributed $3 million, local efforts had raised another $260,000 and other grants totalled about $3 million.
"But the project would not have been able to be completed without this assistance,' he said.
