It will be the most significant maintenance and refurbishment work to be carried out on the facility since it opened eight years ago. However, it will be closed temporarily from mid-January.
The refresh will start in mid-January and include work to improve the efficiency of the facility, such as changing to LED lighting.
Other work will include painting, replacement of showers and toilets and pool-side work.
The main hall and gym will be completed first and re-open in early February, while the remainder of the centre – including the pools – will re-open in early April.
City council head of recreation, sports and events Nigel Cox says the facility has had a lot of use since opening, especially as other recreation and sports centres were closed or damaged after the earthquakes.
“Since Graham Condon opened in October 2011, a huge number of people have made use of the facility. It’s definitely time for it to have deferred maintenance completed to ensure it is modern, efficient and well maintained for continued community use.
“We thank the public for their patience as we carry out this much-needed work and hope they look forward to seeing and experiencing the benefits it will bring,” he said.
Over the past two years refurbishments have also been carried out at Pioneer and Jellie Park recreation and sports centres.
Mr Cox said as other new facilities like He Puna Taimoana in New Brighton, the Metro Sports facility, Te Pou Toetoe in Linwood, and the planned library, customer services and recreation and sport centre in Hornby are built, they will be added into the city council’s scheduled maintenance programme.
“It’s important to regularly maintain these popular assets for the community,” he said.
During the closure period the community is encouraged to use Jellie Park and Tairoa QEII or the city council’s outside pools, which will be open over the summer.
People with specific memberships at Graham Condon will be able to use other centres.
