Despite thick fog, Caroline Bay’s Soundshell was a hive of activity on Thursday morning as heavy machinery was used to manoeuvre giant concrete tilt panels into place as work commenced to replace the concrete bleachers.
Washdyke-based Thompson Construction, Engineering & Precast was awarded the contract for the $1.8m replacement project.
Speaking at the site on Thursday, Thompson Construction general manager Mark Baird said they were lifting tilt panels into place, by putting “dead men” in to hold the panels in place, then lifting the panels into place using two hooks and rotating them into a vertical position.
“We fabricate the panels at our pre-cast company at Washdyke, and fabricate all the steel at our workshop at Meadows Rd. From there we implement all our guys on site with our cranes and machinery to erect the site – we do all the roofing, pour the concrete, we’re basically a one-stop shop,” Baird said.
READ MORE: * Caroline Bay Soundshell seating demolished * Full rebuild of Timaru's Caroline Bay Soundshell seating confirmed * Mayor confident Caroline Bay Soundshell seating arrangement will be on budget * Caroline Bay soundshell seating safety timeline set at five years
Timaru District Council property services manager Nicole Timney said the council was looking forward to having the soundshell seating completed.
Timney said the new seating, which will have a similar capacity of around 1800, will be the same as previously, but with a “refreshed look”.
The project is expected to be completed by December 2022.
The soundshell was constructed in 1936, with the original stadium seating completed in 1957. In 2018, the Timaru District Council was advised the seating would become unsafe within the next five years.
Issues with the condition of the concrete were noted following a structural assessment, as well as reinforcing under the structure exposed to the elements.
A section of the stadium – about a 300-seat section – was closed off in December 2019.
Propping to address loading capacity and dynamic load concerns was installed in 2017, with additional propping added in 2019 and 2020 to allow other parts of the seating to be used until March 2021.
The old seating was demolished in February 2022.