A feasibility study for an indoor recreation centre — including a concept plan, a review of locations, a preliminary costing and a business case — could be approved at next week’s Waitaki District Council meeting.
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher, listed as a steering group member in a council report published yesterday, said if the council was to proceed with an indoor sports facility, based on the price tags for new nearby recreation centres, the cost could be up to $7million.
He said he would not pre-empt the discussion, or "get too far ahead" of the process, but "obviously, we would be looking at a lot of outside funding to make that happen" — and there would be a rates impact.
"It’s got to be something that works for the community," Mr Kircher said.
"We’ve got to be mindful of the retired person on the limited income and so on, but ultimately, you’re not looking after them, you’re not attracting other people who will bring businesses and jobs and all that sort of thing to the place either, and you need some of these facilities.
"The reality is we are missing out on some things: how we run sports like basketball and netball, and so on, we’ve got particular restrictions around what we do and how we do it.
"So this report will look at how to address some of those things.
"If we’ve got, for example, an indoor venue with five or six courts, it allows us to bring age group tournaments to town, or more of them.
"Because they are now going to places where they’re not dependent on good weather."
Better facilities could increase participation in sport, and stimulate economic development.
North Otago Netball Centre president Donna Hurst said the organisation, which represented over 700 players at the junior and senior level, would "rejoice" if a new facility was built in Oamaru.
"It’s very much at the forefront of our wish list," she said.
"You would have women dancing in the streets. That’s a scary thought, I know, but that probably would happen."
Netball South wanted to rotate tournaments around the region, but North Otago players missed out on home tournaments due to the lack of facilities.
As well, players were at greater risk of injury playing on concrete courts outdoors.
The council’s recreation manager Erik van der Spek said $40,000 for a feasibility study for an indoor sports facility had been included in the council’s last long-term plan.
However, Sport Otago had approached the council and would be expected to undertake a needs assessment for the district and a feasibility study for an indoor sports facility if councillors approved the council recommendations at the September 14 meeting.
Sport New Zealand community sport general manager Geoff Barry said in line with the Community Sport Strategy, Sport Otago’s role would be "to co-ordinate the development of regional sport facility plans to avoid duplication and encourage strategic facility provision across a region".
Mr van der Spek said the needs assessment and feasibility study would include an investigation into the costs to redevelop the Waitaki Community Recreation Centre, opened in 1987, but a new indoor facility was "obviously something that has been debated and discussed in the community for many years".
The Waitaki Community Recreation Centre manager was overseas and could not be reached for comment yesterday.
However, the recreation centre’s website lists: basketball; netball; taekwondo; Tai Chi; indoor rock climbing; and fitness groups among users.
The feasibility study, if approved, would be expected to be complete in May next year.
