The Dunedin City Council is close to finishing work on the Tahuna Park grandstand at a ground it wants the city's sports clubs to use more often.
The grandstand is understood to have been built in 1908, three years after the first rugby test in this country between New Zealand and Australia was held there.
It has seated spectators for events from trotting to A&P shows to speedway, as well as more established uses including rugby, rugby league and football.
In 2007 it appeared the park might lose its grandstand in a proposed redevelopment.
A report at the time said the existing facilities at the site were reaching the end of their useful lives, as the area in use became smaller due to the development of the secondary treatment plant for the Tahuna outfall.
A draft plan was produced which included softball diamonds, three fields for rugby, rugby league or soccer, and the removal of the grandstand.
Instead, maintenance work was being undertaken, with a new roof put on the building, work that would be finished this week.
Other work included installing netting in the roof to stop birds ``establishing themselves and fouling everywhere''.
Mr Dyer said the grandstand work had been done at the same time as work ridding a pavilion on the other side of the park of asbestos. That other pavilion was used to store fertiliser, grass seed and goal posts
Mr Dyer said it was decided to get the grandstand reroofed at the same time.
In recent years the inside had been painted, but nothing structural or significant in terms of fixings had been done inside the ageing building.
``That will come in time,'' he said.
Tahuna Park was still used for football, but Mr Dyer said he wanted it to have more use, and to lift its profile.
``The first part of that is making sure it is maintained.''
The budget for the work on the grandstand and pavilion was $285,000, which came from the council's parks and recreation renewals fund.
