104 | Recreation Construction T T Rosa Watson Tracks, trails, bridges and more Recreation Construction maintains one-third of the cycle trail from Oamaru to Omarama, including building the track, boardwalks and bridges. COMMUNITY An Oamaru construction company has found a niche market in building recreational tracks, which has included work on the popular Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail. Recreation Construction maintains one-third of the cycle trail from Oamaru to Omarama, including building the track, boardwalks and bridges. But the company’s scope of skills and services stretches even wider from working with timber, steel, concrete, and excavation. “Doing things like pole sheds, dairy sheds or yard alterations, civil projects – predominately bridging, recreational bridges and boardwalks and some small trail works,” owner Josh Soper says. “We don’t shy away from many projects, to be fair.” The company was established in 2004, and having worked in the company for four to five years each, the opportunity arose for Josh and his colleague Fergus Watt to purchase it. “So, we thought we would give it a crack,” Josh says. Josh brings strong expertise in project management and general construction, including farm infrastructure, and Fergus specialises in engineering and structural delivery. In the beginning, the company did a lot of back country work, including track and trail construction. Then, at around the time Fergus and Josh took over the reins, the focus turned from building tracks and trails to more infrastructure and civil projects. “Projects like building bridges were a main focus for quite some time, with just about all the bridges on the Alps 2 Ocean trail being built by Recreation Construction,” says Josh. The company has continued to expand its capabilities, and today offers a wide range of services across farm buildings, civil and general construction, bridge works, and complex remote infrastructure. There are currently seven employees on the team, plus a couple of casuals that help out from time to time. Most projects are done in-house without the use of subcontractors, allowing the firm to be the sole point of contact for clients. A recent key project was installing a new viewing platform at Lake Marian in Fiordland. “The team put in a top effort to pull that one off in winter conditions and a very challenging environment,” Josh says. Accountants & Business Advisors 18 Woollcombe St, Timaru | www.fordsimpson.co.nz | P: 03 687 2080 Proud partners of successful South Canterbury Businesses Pleased to support Recreation Construction Ltd Antony Ford Brodie Craig
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