The work is scheduled to be completed in two stages commencing with the subsoil drainage being finished in time for the summer cricket season. Further surface drainage and sand applications will be carried out prior to the winter season to complete the work.
Some 3.3 kilometres of new 110mm plastic piping will be laid in gravel and sand-filled trenches across the park’s two fields. A 320-metre collector drain will also be laid around the perimeter of the park.
Peter Hemsley, a City Council Parks, Sport and Recreation Project Manager, says the aim of the new system is to more efficiently drain the park so its turf can withstand the rigours of winter rugby and “recover” more quickly before the cricket season.
The existing drainage network, installed in the late 1980s, has largely filled with silt and reached the end of its useful life.
Temporary fencing will be installed around the sportsfield and the adjoining car park will be temporarily closed for safety reasons.
Work, by Mexted Contractors Ltd, will start on 26 September and take about five weeks, weather permitting.