Sports centre start hangs on approval

The long-awaited Arrowtown Community and Sports Centre could be a reality by 2015, subject to Queenstown Lakes District Council approval and funding.

The full council will discuss a report on the matter at its meeting in Queenstown next week, recommending the council endorse in principle support for a capital contribution for the new facility, catering to sports and community groups including the Arrowtown Rugby Club and Arrowtown Scouts, and relocating the rugby field.

If the council considered the proposal had merit, it would enter into a formal agreement with the Arrowtown community and sports centre group, including an ''agreed minimum level of funding to be raised by [the group], start and finish dates, a sunset clause for council's financial support and that council funding will be released only once all funding is in place for the project to be completed''.

QLDC operations general manager Ruth Stokes yesterday told the Otago Daily Times details would be confirmed if the council felt the proposal had value.

Broadly, the proposal was to shift the rugby field slightly to enlarge it. The ODT understands at present the in-goal, or dead ball, area is 2m-3m short of the minimum 10m requirement, and the field was also about 4m-5m too narrow.

Mrs Stokes' report to the council also contemplated replacing the Suffolk St car park beside the field and the dilapidated club rooms with a ''grass training pitch''.

She told the ODT that area would be used for rugby drills, to try preserving Jack Reid Park, as Arrowtown's microclimate meant the field suffered as winter progressed.

Car parking would be moved to the Arrowtown Born of Gold Holiday Park side of the field, with the entrance off Centennial Ave.

This was also where the proposed new community and sports centre would be located. The existing Arrowtown Rugby Club rooms would be demolished, enabling the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust's proposal of construction of 10 affordable housing rental units there to advance.

The report to the council on the community and sports facility said the group behind the project had submitted a proposal for council contribution towards the project and hoped for a decision as soon as possible, so building could start.

''As this proposal has been received outside annual plan considerations, there is no funding available in the current plan.

With indicative project timings, any financial contribution from council would be unlikely to be called on until the next financial year (2014-15).

Whilst officers need to determine options to make this funding available, the [group] will require confirmation of the council's support in principle to enable funding applications to be made to third parties.''

Mrs Stokes said subject to council approval it was hoped the project, which would be staged, could begin ''straight away''.

''The group is looking for being able to get into a new facility in early to mid 2015,'' Mrs Stokes said.

-tracey.roxburgh@odt.co.nz

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