People attached to the government’s Work for the Dole scheme have been enlisted to remove planks and seats from the 100-year-old grandstand this week. 

An engineer will assess what structural work needs to be done as part of the restoration after the seats and planks are removed.

Hunter River Agricultural and Horticultural Association representatives will then get quotes from builders to complete the long-awaited restoration work. 

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HRAHA operations manager Amanda Winney said the association was also in the process of filling out the relevant paper work to access the $250,000 promised by the state government before the March election.

The government funding has also triggered a $200,000 ­donation from an anonymous benefactor, who pledged the money last year on the proviso that HRAHA could come up with the remainder of money needed to complete the work. 

“Once an engineer gives a proper indication of what needs to be done, we’ve got a builder who has been helping us [with advice] so we can then go and get quotes [for the construction work],” Ms Winney said.

“We’ve had Work for the Dole people pulling seats and boards out of the top half of the grandstand. That’s the section that needs to be replaced.”

There have been ongoing community efforts to have the grandstand returned to its ­former glory. 

Minister for Sport and Recreation Stuart Ayres told the Mercury in July that $125,000 had been budgeted for the grandstand this financial year and the remaining half of the election commitment would be delivered in the 2016/17 financial year.

It could be an expensive task to revamp the old grandstand because it is heritage listed, which means work needs to be completed in a specific way using materials that will preserve the structure’s heritage value.