A proposed community sports centre in Te Kuiti worth up to $6.5 million could see a sports hub in the district by 2018.

A facility that would provide a hub for indoor sports is in the planning stages with Te Kuiti High School, Waitomo District Council, Sport Waikato and community representatives forming a steering group.

The end goal, if it's feasible, is a sub-regional sports facility on the grounds of Te Kuiti High School that would serve Ruapehu, Waitomo and Otorohanga districts.

The school's gym is 45 years old and the town's Waitomo Sports Stadium - "a big shed with a wooden floor" is even older, said  project coordinator Bruce Maunsell.

"The basis of the project is school-community partnership. The school needs a new gymnasium and that's given the project momentum."

As well as courts, there would be a multi-purpose room and a fitness centre that could be used by the community, Maunsell said.

"We think we could start construction through the the first quarter of 2017 and have it operational by 2018."

Ruapehu and Waitomo district councils have both come on board to support the project in principle. However Otorohanga hesitated at it's last meeting, with some councillors fearing that support for a hub in Te Kuiti might mean less in the kitty for future projects they might have.

"If Otorohanga support it in principal it almost certainly will be a sub-regional facility, but unless we get that buy in there's a reasonable likelihood it won't get that status," Maunsell said.

He said about 200 young people from Otorohanga travel to Te Kuiti each week just for mini ball, a game used as an introduction to basketball for younger players.

There are no full size basketball court facilities in Otorohanga, Waitomo or the northern Ruapehu Districts.

The nearest courts are some 70 kilometres away in Cambridge, Te Kuiti High School principal Bruce Stephens said.

"These school/community partnerships are a growing part of the way things are done now," he said.

No one has been asked for money yet, but Maunsell said typically the school and community would be asked to put up 20 per cent each, then the rest would come from public funders.

Trust Waikato would be one of the funders approached, he said.

Waitomo Mayor Brian Hanna said while council was "fully supportive" of the project, it had no funding available to contribute to the build.

"We haven't got any funding in the Long Term Plan from a capital nature, and we're obviously pretty stretched financially.

"We'd see our place as contributing to annual operating costs at this stage, that's where we'd come in."

Sport Waikato chief executive Matthew Cooper said the project served as a chance to develop a well designed facility to meet current and future community needs.

"The provision of facilities to enable [sport and recreation] strengthen community outcomes and add value to the liveability and success of our region in many ways," Cooper said.

Sport Waikato is not a funder.

At its October monthly meeting, Otorohanga District Council questioned whether to pledge its support in principle, then decided to vote in November.

"We want to improve facilities ... but if it goes down there there's less in the pot to come here," chief executive Dave Clibbery said.

Otorohanga Mayor Max Baxter raised the point that Waikato-based funders may cast their eyes away from King Country if a farther sub-region came up with a regional sports plan.

"If say Matamata-Piako came up with a facility, then the money could go there, so are we not in a better win if it goes to a facility in Te Kuiti?".

Councillor Robyn Klos said the support of a district council sent a strong signal to potential funders.

"Otorohanga should be careful not to take any action that would disadvantage us in future," she said.

Stephens said while it was early days, if the facility went ahead it was likely the high school's existing gym would be pulled down.

 

stuff.co.nz

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