Lizard News NOVEMBER 2024
FREE LOCAL NEWS... IN THE COMMUNITY
Te Puna • Whakamārama • Matakana Is • Ōmokoroa • Pahoia • Apata • Aongatete • Katikati • Tahāwai • Bowentown • Athenree • Waihī Beach
Community rec centre awaits funding and consent he Katikati Community Sport and Recreation Centre (KKCSRC) is excited to announce that the first stage of this new community building is soon to be submitted for building consent. This first stage is a 400m2 building facing the new sports oval and containing a large activity area, clubrooms, changing rooms, machinery and storage facility. This will serve the multiple needs of more than seven clubs and groups and will additionally include much-needed public toilets for Moore Park. Six years of planning has gone into designing a building that will be a lifesaver for many groups, particularly those which are too small and in no way can afford to build individually. Users will be able to grow their membership, operate safely and have a positive future. Two of Katikati’s largest outdoor sports groups, football and cricket, have needed such a facility for more than fifty years. They account for more than 500 outdoor participants. Sea Scouts, Guides, Brownies, martial arts, and other groups all need the activity space and new facilities. In addition, the new Kaimai
T
Pickleball Club is bringing a new dynamic and more senior-aged users that require indoor facilities. The building will service over 900 active users and more than 1100 members. Western BOP Councils Reserves and Facility Manager Peter Watson says, “The KKCSRC project was identified in the Moore Park concept plan in 2018 when the Katikati/Waihī Beach Ward reserve management plan was reviewed. Council will be working through the
public consultation process shortly for the proposed lease for the new facility. Council has also identified funding in the 2024/34 Long Term Plan towards building publicly available toilets that will be incorporated into the facility design. It will be wonderful to see a new community facility established at Moore Park to support the growing demand of the clubs and park users”. The cost of the build, including fit-out, is budgeted at $1.25m. The KKCSRC
Ōmokoroa
Katikati
operates as a charity and will be approaching all its members and community for direct support soon. The project will very much need the support of the wonderful funding agencies that allow such community projects to be developed. The clubs to date have raised a significant amount in getting the project to its current stage. Spokesperson Ben Warren says, “Much of this community build is about providing for our mātātahi or younger generations and for the te wā heke or future. It will also provide many opportunities for our older generations. It is especially about having modern, muchneeded facilities in our own community”. Once this stage 1 build has been completed, the focus will move towards the 2nd stage, a much-needed 1500m2 community indoor centre catering for multiple sports and indoor users that currently do not exist in Katikati. Additionally, the KKCSRC would like to see further space allocated at the site for the Katikati Community Centre to potentially relocate to in the future, making this an important hub of community activity in Katikati. Article and images supplied.