What's been the hold up?
Construction on Headon Stadium Event Centre came to a halt in 2020 when the country went into lockdown due to COVID-19, when, like the rest of the country, our contractor had to down tools.
At that time, there were no walls or roofing, so the contractor did the best they could to protect the foundations from wet weather. Unfortunately while no one was on-site, rain got in under the protective covering and into the floorboards. The long term damage wasn’t apparent until the building was almost complete and the floorboards began to warp.
We worked with a sports floor specialist to remove the moisture, which was covered by construction insurance. The consultant assured us the damage was reversible but this would take time. Over a few months we were doing the necessary remedial work to dry the boards out but with very little progress.
The decision was made to replace the existing floor with a new high quality sports floor from Malaysia. Unfortunately before the timber floor could be shipped from Malaysia, the country went into COVID-19 lockdown. It couldn't be shipped until the lockdown lifted.
New flooring has arrived
With Malaysia remaining in lockdown indefinitely, an alternative flooring solution was found. Juncker wood sports floors are produced in Denmark and the company has provided flooring solutions for sports venues around the world. The sports floors are made from solid hardwood, one of the most durable surfaces available.
Due to a deal that fell through, Juncker's had the flooring we needed in stock and we've ended up with a better quality floor for marginally more than the Malaysia option was going to cost.
The flooring arrived in New Zealand in mid September but with Auckland in lockdown it wasn't as straight forward to get it delivered to Matamata. The good news is it's here!
Start date to lay the new floor
The specialists we had lined up to lay the floor are Auckland-based. It's unknown how long the Auckland region will remain at COVID-19 alert level 3, and the company's sent their team from Christchurch to complete the work.
It's been a long time coming, but the installation of the new floor will start on Tuesday 5 October, barring any changes to the COVID-19 alert levels.
Ordinarily, laying the new floor would take about one month to complete - but we're not living in ordinary times. We have done our best to navigate the far reaching effects of COVID-19 so far, and we hope it's smooth sailing from here. We'll keep you posted.