The Gloucester Showground has been a hive of activity in recent weeks with projects underway courtesy of the NSW Government's COVID-19 Stimulus Funding package.
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The Gloucester Agricultural Horticultural and Pastoral (AH&P) Association was received funding for a total of seven projects, the majority of which are nearing completion.
A 110,000 litre tank has been installed to collect rainwater from the dairy shed roof.
Trenches have been dug and piping laid to distribute this water to the new horse wash bay and the camp draft arena.
The construction of the new horse wash bay is well underway.
Project manager, Greg Channon expects the structure to be completed on time.
"We hope to have the wash bay at the dairy shed also completed by the due date but will require some extra hands to make this happen," Greg said.
Replacement of the existing timber arena fence with new steel fencing has not been an easy task. However, project manager, Howard Shultz is confident that the work will be completed by the end of this month.
"The last section past the cattle yards is straightforward and won't take long to complete," Howard explained.
Howard also commented that he is happy to see the progress taking place at the showground.
Also nearing completion is the replacement of guttering on some of the buildings. Approximately 120 metres of guttering has been replaced on one section of the horse stalls. New colorbond guttering has been installed on the Stock Horse Heritage Centre, with only a small section still to be completed.
Projects yet to commence include the replacement of the arena lighting with energy-efficient LED lights and the laser levelling and top dressing of the main arena. The delivery of the lights has been delayed due to the COVID-19 impact on supplies, while the adverse effects of the recent wet weather have caused a delay to the work on the main arena.
Fortunately, an extension of time has been sought and granted for both of these projects. It is anticipated that they will now be completed before the end of September.
The recent blustery winds have prevented the re-roofing of the main pavilion and painting of the Produce Pavilion to proceed. With luck, this work will commence shortly.
Working Bees are scheduled for Saturday August 29 and Sunday August 30 from 9am to undertake a general clean-up of the showground and perform some minor maintenance.
Assistance from association members would be greatly appreciated. Morning tea and a barbecue lunch will be provided for the workers.