The Waitaki Event Centre Trust received a $175,000 donation from the Oamaru Licensing Trust, on behalf of the Lion Foundation.
The donation was the biggest single donation the licensing trust had given in the last 25 years, grants committee chairman Ali Brosnan said.
The event centre would be ‘‘a big plus for Oamaru’’ and would benefit the entire town, he said.
‘‘We’ve got two big accommodation facilities in town, the North Star and the Brydone Hotel who between them have 66 rooms available for the incoming people, plus all our hospitality, our food, our catering. We’re looking forward to it [the centre opening].
‘‘It’s quite satisfying to be able to help people out.’’
The retractable seats can fit just under 300 people.
Waitaki Event Centre Trust chairman Kevin Malcolm said the donation was a continuation of the great work the licensing trust and Lion Foundation do in the district.
‘‘We’re just absolutely delighted really.
‘‘They’ve really jumped on board and supported us.’’
While wet weather last week caused ‘‘a bit of a holdup’’ with the landscaping outside the event centre, the trust was still on track to be handed the keys by the end of this month, he said.
‘‘For all intents and purposes, the completion date is still on.
‘‘We might have a couple of wee things to tweak if the weather goes against us but Apollo [Projects] and all the local tradies are doing a tremendous job and pushing like mad to make sure we get to that timeframe.’’
The event centre will be operational in time for winter sports, he said.
In the meantime, the trust is continuing to raise funds to complete stage two, which will be the grandstand.
