The all-weather athletics track planned for the Pugh Sports Bowl in Masterton is a giant step nearer.
The Pelorus Trust has obtained 10-year naming rights for the facility through a grant of $50,000, leaving the Wairarapa Regional All-Weather Track Trust (WRATT) short by just $40,000 for the construction of the eight-lane
rubberised course. That means plans for construction to start by October with a completion date of next February are still on track.
The $50,000 takes Pelorus Trust contributions to the all-weather track to $150,000 and lifts the overall amount raised to around $787,000. That includes $300,000 from the Masterton District Council and significant grants from the Eastern and Central Community Trust, Trust House, Carterton District Council, Infinity Foundation and Lion Foundation.
WRATT trustee and athletics coach Mark Harris has expressed delight at the financial situation, saying that to have the all-weather track so close to becoming a reality after four-and-a-half years of "hard slog" was something special.
"We've had our ups and downs along the way but we've kept at it and now it's in sight. I guess there's a mix of excitement and relief in getting this far."
He is convinced the track will be strongly patronised by people from throughout the Wairarapa region - by school students of all ages and abilities, various sports codes for cross-training purposes, people needing a suitable venue for rehabilitative exercise and people with disabilities as well as those who simply want to maintain fitness.
Harris is confident, too, that the track will place Wairarapa firmly on the map as a venue for major athletics meets, providing good news for local businesses. "It will generate money for the town and that's got to be a huge plus too."
The construction of the track would not, however, mean fundraising would go on the back burner with future planning including a piped fence to deter vandals.
