WIN Stadium grandstand gaining truss
BY SAM HALL
18 Jun, 2011 04:00 AM
The men and women behind WIN Stadium’s Western Grandstand refurbishment say they have reached a ‘‘major milestone’’ in the development, hoisting the second half of the stand’s main truss into place.
Inclement weather has delayed crews from erecting the imposing 85m structure for several weeks.
They were gifted a small opportunity yesterday morning, using a 450-tonne crane to lift the second piece into place.
The Mercury was given an early tour through the internals of the grandstand, watching on as 70 pairs of hands worked to complete media facilities, corporate boxes and seating arrangements.
Illawarra Venues Authority chairman Chris Christodoulou urged Dragons fans to support their club’s return to Wollongong on Monday week, against the Sea Eagles.
‘‘We’re asking Dragons’ fans to come out really strong on Monday night and demonstrate that they appreciate the hard work that has gone into this project,’’ he said.
‘‘The priority for us has been getting the project done on time so that the Dragons can play their six home games here.’’
Lipman construction manager Mark Holliday, who has overseen the building perspective of the development, said the focus was now away from the roof and back on completing the ground work.
‘‘Everything is running well at the moment, the fact that we have lifted the truss into place means we’re not as prone to the weather as we were,’’ he said.
‘‘We did a very similar job at Penrith Stadium in 2006, it was almost identical - even to the point where we opened the lower tier for early games.
‘‘It means that we know what to expect with a lot of the project; the main difference being that Wollongong is a lot more exposed to the elements than Penrith.’’
With the truss lifted into place, crews will soon go about pouring concrete into the four supporting columns.
http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/win-stadium-grandstand-gaining-truss/2199091.aspx