Orange City Council has awarded the tender for the playing surface for the John Davis OAM Stadium.

The construction project has been awarded to Glascott Landscape & Civil Pty Ltd for $2.1 million (excluding GST). The works include construction of an elite sand-based field, including drainage, irrigation, rootzone construction, synthetic surfaces, fencing, goalposts, turf establishment, and commissioning.

The turf installation is projected to be completed by February next year.

Glascott’s previous experience includes major projects such as the $41.6 million Gipps Street Recreation Precinct (Penrith), the $7.4 million Seymour Shaw Park Stage 2 (Sutherland), and the $3.2 million Oran Park Baseball Park.

Mayor of Orange Tony Mileto said the completed eight fields of the Orange Regional Sporting Precinct were already the premier surfaces in the city, and the stadium surface would be a step up again.

“The precinct as a whole is delivering a new standard for sporting facilities across regional NSW and at the heart of that is the JD stadium with an elite sports surface. It will be a standard some may only see on sporting broadcasts, but it will be right here in Orange for local and visiting athletes,” Cr Mileto said.

Recreation and Culture Policy Committee chair, Cr Tammy Greenhalgh, said the tender process set high standards.

“Orange City Council and the Orange community have high expectations for this field and I am pleased the successful tenderer has the experience to meet those expectations,” Cr Greenhalgh said.

The $74.5 million Orange Regional Sporting Precinct is supported by $15 million from the Federal Government’s Growing Regions Program and $59.5 million from the NSW Government.