Work has begun in earnest on the upgrade to the Harden Murrumburrah Showground, starting with the electrical system.
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The $266,350 funding for the electricals was announced by Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke, as one of 22 community projects sharing $3.16 million allocated to assist with the Hilltops amalgamation.
Ms Cooke was at the showground on Monday to see how the work was progressing.
“It is great to see the work in progress.” Ms Cooke said. “I can’t wait to see the completed showground, set up for generations to come.”
"These old cables carried an incredible amount of power and there was no power shut-off, only fuses - these upgrades will create a much safer environment at the Showground," Ms Cooke added.
Not only were the overhead cables old and some of the power poles in need of repair, the length of the cabling was creating problems as well.
"These enormous lengths of cable were leading to drop-offs in power at the end furthest from the power supply, with the resistance in such long cabling causing voltage reductions," Ms Cooke said.
"Anybody who needs to use electrical equipment in these parts of the Showground will no longer have to put up with an unreliable power supply - brownouts will be a thing of the past."
Local electrician Robert Scott said that the electrical work is in the early stages and there are some exciting changes to come.
“We have about five kilometres of cabling going underground.” Mr Scott said. “We are also installing generator tabs, so in case of a natural disaster, the community will still be able to access some power.”
It is hoped that the electrical upgrade will be completed by the end of March.
The next renovation project for the showground is the bathroom facility and an architect has been engaged to design the building.