$540k boost for community hub

Residents of the Manuherikia and Ida valleys have been given a significant boost — $540,000 in funding has been granted by the Otago Community Trust to help build a new Manuherikia Valley Community Hub in Omakau.

The funding, granted by the trust as part of its March grants round, brings the total raised for the project to $3.5 million, well on the way to the estimated $5.2m needed to bring the project to life.

The hub will help bridge a significant gap left by the recent closures of the Omakau District Memorial Community Centre and hotel — both long-standing community gathering points.

Once completed, the venue will offer a flexible, modern space, designed to serve as a vital centre for social, sporting, cultural and emergency response needs in the area, capable of hosting up to 200 people.

The facility will include a commercial kitchen, a function room with bar facilities, dedicated meeting spaces with video conferencing, changing rooms, a gym and a whānau quiet space.

It will also house the Omakau Toy Library.

It is set to become a facility serving the wider Central Otago region.

Manuherikia Charitable Trust chair Andrew Paterson described the Otago Community Trust’s contribution as a "really important" step toward realising the community’s vision.

"We are stoked about this funding and we are still applying for further funding from Central Lakes Trust and Lotto as well," Mr Paterson said.

He added that the trust had received tenders from several local firms, all offering "community-oriented" pricing, and that Breens Construction had been awarded the contract. Final discussions were still under way, but there was optimism the project might come in under budget.

"We’ll learn more about the final price in the coming weeks," he said.

Construction is expected to begin in September or October this year, depending on final fundraising outcomes and ongoing discussions with the contractor.

Central Otago District Councillor and Vincent Community Board member Tracy Paterson praised the project as a shining example of successful collaboration.

"This is a really good collaboration between the council and the community.

‘‘It shows what can be achieved when two groups working together, supporting one another, get it right," she said.

Plans for the new facility date back to 2015, when the Omakau Community Plan was being developed.

Originally, the community had hoped to refurbish the Omakau hall, but a 2013 assessment estimated earthquake strengthening alone would cost $230,000.

Similar issues affected the local rugby clubrooms, prompting a search for a shared solution — leading to the creation of the new hub.

By Graham McKerracher