GREAT SHOW: Nitro Circus will put on a fantastic show in Orange but some still fear the impact it will have on the city’s premier sports ground.
A LOT like the show itself, the set up then removal of the Nitro Circus production at Wade Park in April will be fast, loud and on a scale like no other show seen in Orange.
But the efficiency of the world renowned spectacle is still “wait and see” for some.
Orange CYMS president Ray Agland said the arrival of the 2013 Oz regional tour was a great thing for the city, but he still held some reservations regarding the length of time the show will hold the city’s premier ground.
Orange City Council is confident it’ll be four days, revealing that information at a council meeting on Tuesday night.
CYMS’ home match against Mudgee on April 13 will be moved to Endevaour Oval and Mr Agland is hopeful it will be just that one week affected.
“They’ve given us all the confidence that it’s not going to affect the ground,” he said.
“Let’s see, we will move our Mudgee game to Emus, we’ll miss out on bar takings for the day but we accept that. The following weekend we’ve got St Pat’s at Wade Park. We’ll see what happens.”
CYMS and Orange Hawks have known about the unavailability of their home ground on that weekend for some time.
But there were still concerns the show would damage the ground to the point Wade Park would be unsuitable for use weeks after the show.
Measures ensuring turf receives sunlight while covered with protective matting and using timber boards for all forklift or vehicle traffic are some measures in place to help protect Wade Park’s turf.
“My fear is if we get substantial rain, there will have to be some impact on the ground,” Mr Agland said.
“We’ve got no issue with Nitro Circus coming to town, the club thinks it’ll be great but at times we still question council’s decision to use Wade Park. Considering the complexity of the delays to the ground last year, it may have been better to shy away from something like this.”
Council noted at the meeting the promoter of Nitro Circus was not able to consider using any other location in the city because a capacity of 10,000, grandstand, secure fencing and ground lighting was a requirement for the show.