Roofing troubles returned to Shellharbour City Stadium on Sunday, just one week after the stadium’s new $1.4million roof was officially celebrated.
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For more than a decade the stadium’s leaky roof had plagued Shellharbour City Council, forcing the closure of the stadium in wet weather.
The roof had left the council hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket thanks to loss of revenue, unsuccessful repairs and failed legal action. The stadium reopened this month after five months closure.
On Sunday, it wasn’t rain, but the strong westerly winds that caused damage, as gusts of up to 96km/h were recorded at nearby Illawarra Regional Airport.
‘‘This has occurred due to the fixings failing during yesterday’s winds,’’ Shellharbour council acting general manager Lee Furness said.
‘‘Currently we are proposing to replace the failed rivets with a much stronger fixing method [tek screws] and installing additional timber blocking. This has not affected the use of the stadium and works will be carried out this week.’’
The recent work was still under warranty, Ms Furness said.
A spokesman for the State Emergency Service said SES volunteers worked with council staff to isolate the area at the Croom Regional Sporting Complex as concerns were raised metal sheeting could become a flying hazard.
He said many of the volunteers were already at the sporting complex as part of the i98FM Camp Quality Convoy family fun day, with NSW Fire and Rescue was called in to secure the flashing.
