Event centre hoped to open for winter sports

The opening of the new Network Waitaki Event Centre has been delayed but the project remains ‘‘comfortably under budget’’ and it is hoped the facility will be ready in time to play winter sports, according to the Waitaki Event Centre Trust chairman.

The court dividing nets — being transported on a ship coming from the United States — were yet to arrive in the country, Kevin Malcolm said.

‘‘They’re on the water now,’’ Mr Malcolm told the Oamaru Mail last week.

‘‘We don’t want to muck anyone around. We want to be completely finished so we need to wait on these,’’ he said.

Once they arrive, the nets will take about 10 days to install.

Mr Malcolm said the trust still planned to have the event centre operational by next month, in time for winter sports such as netball.

Despite the delay, the project was ‘‘comfortably under budget’’, he said.

The trust is still working towards funding stage two of the project which is the grandstand.

‘‘We have to have all the money before council will let us go ahead so our aim is, by the middle of this year, to have all that money tied up,’’ Mr Malcolm said.