A minimum $80,000 resurfacing of the top field and installation of disabled access in consultation with the St Joseph's community is in the works for the Catholic school in Beetham St.
Board of trustees chairwoman Gigi Hollyer, of Queenstown, said drainage was poor on the grounds and trustees were seeking to augment funds for a staged upgrade by applying for community grants. The grounds were surveyed and a feasibility report was to be completed.
Mrs Hollyer said the project demonstrated the Beetham St site "will not be left behind" following the removal last week of the last legal hurdle for the development of a satellite campus at 478 Speargrass Flat Rd, near Arrowtown.
Plans were also being made to celebrate the 130th anniversary of St Joseph's School next year.
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Dunedin, the Most Rev Colin Campbell, said the campus to be known informally as "Speargrass" was ready to be developed, after the remaining two pairs of appellants withdrew their application last week to appeal the High Court decision.
Justice Christine French in April upheld earlier Environment Court approval and resource consent which had been granted by the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
Speargrass would consist of a 480sq m classroom block and a 220sq m administration block. A total of 43 car parks would be provided, along with playing fields and a hard court area.
The Catholic Education Office in Dunedin intended to first develop a block of three classrooms, with the fourth room set aside for administration and the library, until the second-stage block was built to house administration and the library, freeing up the fourth room as another classroom.
Water, sewerage and waste disposal services were provided and Speargrass was on an existing school bus route.
Mrs Hollyer said trustees would begin consultation with parents and staff in association with the Ministry of Education and the education office, on Speargrass issues, including the ages to be taught, its enrolment zone and the percentage of pupils enrolled from non-Catholic families.
Speargrass was expected to begin teaching children in 2014.
However, residents' spokesman James Hadley said the appellants in withdrawing their application to appeal decided to "let common sense and the true needs of the local community ultimately determine whether or not a school will be successfully operated at the site" instead of continuing "an expensive legal debate".
Mr Hadley said he thanked members of the community who supported the appellants and "could not see or understand the logic in transporting children to and from a school in a remote location in the Wakatipu Basin and isolated from the normal after-school infrastructure available to parents and students in Arrowtown, Frankton and Queenstown."
Opposing residents still believed the character of Speargrass Flat Rd would be altered by the school and it set a precedent for more development in rural residential zones, he said.
"It may be that the community indicate to the diocese that instead of investing millions of dollars of capital at this proposed location to attract new students, those funds might be better used improving the education of students at the existing school where growth capacity already exists," Mr Hadley said.
