MAJOR upgrades to historic pavilions and the replacement of the exterior fence around the track are set to be on the agenda at the Bathurst Showground thanks to an almost $3 million grant for the NSW Government.
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Member for Bathurst, Paul Toole, made the announcement for the $2.98 million grant on Monday morning, saying it will improve the showground's facilities and infrastructure.
"You've got buildings like the Beau Brown Pavilion, Cec English Pavilion, Don Leitch and Sinclair Pavilions and the Howard Pavilion. Some of these buildings date back to 1879," he said.
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"This $3 million is going to repair these buildings and we're also going to see the exterior fence around the showground track be replaced.
"The grandstand itself is in a bit of disrepair, so it's now going to be fixed up as well. Old timber will be replaced with more modern timber work."
"Our regional communities will benefit from better showground facilities and stronger infrastructure that can serve generations into the future."
Bathurst Showground land manager Andrew Fletcher said the funding will give another 50 years of life to the buildings, without the need for significant investment during that period.
"Each of these buildings all vary from 140 to 100 years old," he said.
"They've all got, as all old buildings have, certain issues of rot and everything else.
"This funding will actually clean up all that outstanding work that needs to be done. I won't say it'll be as good as new, but I will say it'll make it as new as it has been in the past 140 years."
Work for a new entrance to the showground is also expected to be finished by the end of the year.
"That work is expected to start very shortly, so we're hoping before Christmas we'll have a new entrance to the showground," he said.
"We've also had a number of campers coming lately. We want and need those to continue to allow us to manage the place in its own right."
With a number of scheduled events - including the Bathurst Show - being cancelled this year because of the coronavirus, the funding is welcomed news for Mr Fletcher.
"The showground has had a number of large events cancelled," he said.
"Sadly we had one this week, which was a fairly significant exposition to the Bathurst community."
