The Otago Cricket Association (OCA) is funding the refit with the proceeds from the recent wind-up of the Otago Cricket Trust ($114,000) and a $50,000 grant from the New Zealand Cricket Foundation.
OCA commercial manager Craig Cumming said the association had been looking for the past three years at how it could improve its indoor facilities and decided to work with what was available at the Edgar Centre.
The OCA had utilised just two of the four lanes at the venue in the past but would take over the back two lanes as well ''and do a complete upgrade''.
''It has really been 12 years since there has been any work put in and the facilities are tired,'' he said.
''We'll have four lanes and that will allow us to have more space for all our coaching programmes. We're getting the best surfaces that you can buy these days and hopefully that will allow us to have quality indoor facilities as well as outdoor facilities.''
The public will still have access to the indoor nets but will need to contact Otago Cricket.
However, Edgar Centre manager Blair Crawford said the venue was investigating plans to build another lane that would be a dedicated public facility.
''It will probably go ahead and we are reasonably comfortable with it,'' Crawford said.
''We just have to get the final pricing in to check on the cost of that lane.''
Crawford said funding of $35,000 had been set aside for the project.
''With the [OCA's] high performance centre taking over that whole cricket area, it probably cuts out that public use that we've always had.
''We think the Edgar Centre still needs to provide a public lane just like we have currently.''
Crawford said the ideal time to start construction would be when the other lanes were being upgraded and he expected a decision on the project would be made within the next week.
Cumming said one of the greatest improvements would be the lighting.
''Currently we have 16 lights [and] these are being replaced with 96 lights that will be 2.5 times brighter than the current levels.
''It will mean when you are batting in the dark at night-time, you'll probably be able to see the ball.''
Handy, that.
Work will begin on October 12 and is expected to be complete by the first week of November, so the nets will be out of action for about three weeks.
Cumming hopes the project will run smoothly and the nets could be back up in operation a little earlier.
