It is committing $100,000 of its own cash reserves to get the project done and, in a couple of months, the venue should look very different.
OCA chief executive Mike Coggan said the upgrade was needed to lift its capacity from 3500 to meet New Zealand Cricket's minimum requirement of 6000 for international grounds.
‘‘We can't surmise as a result of doing this work that we are going to get any form of cricket,'' Coggan said.
‘‘But having said that ... we are looking at one of the big scheduled fixtures next year, anyway.
‘‘We will be pushing hard to make sure we are just as relevant as Hagley Oval and will put ourselves in a position where it is difficult for New Zealand Cricket to say no.''
While there has been no concrete commitment from NZC to schedule matches in Dunedin, Coggan said with inbound tours from Pakistan, the West Indies, South Africa, England and Australia in the next two years, and India due in 2018-19, there would be plenty of opportunities for the OCA to bid for exciting fixtures.
Coggan is not concerned committing $100,000 in cash reserves to the project will jeopardise the association's finances.
‘‘We have to be reasonably comfortable with that. We have reserves that are in and around $250,000, so that is essentially just less than half of our reserves.''
However, he said the organisation would have to work to generate surpluses to continue to finance its strategic plan during the next five years.
The trucks will start rumbling in later this month when Otago's last first-class home game has been completed.
In the meantime, some preparation work has begun. Otago Cricket has engaged Hall Brothers as its contractor and more than 10,000cu m of soil will be added to the embankments courtesy of Blackhead Quarries.
A 100m retaining wall will be built along the western side of the ground to create seating for more than 3000 spectators.
There will be room for temporary seating at the back to further increase the capacity to a maximum of 10,000.
That improved capacity will give OCA considerable clout when it comes to bidding for fixtures.
If the work goes to plan, the project should be finished in mid-May, Coggan said.
There will be a traffic management plan in place around the site but Coggan said the venue would host club rugby games during the period and there would be no interruptions to sporting activities at Logan Park.
Coggan said the final result would be a venue with a sweeping grand embankment to rival the grassy knolls at the Basin Reserve and Hagley Oval.
‘‘It will be a lot more in keeping with the Basin and Hagley. It will be a beautiful ground once it is fully completed. I think people will be quite astounded with how well it works in with the environment.''
There is a significant planting plan to hide the back of the retaining wall which will be up to 3m high in places.
