Councillors unanimously approved the scope of the study, including a concept plan, a review of locations for the facility, a preliminary costing and a business case, and authorised council officers to contract Sport Otago to prepare the report.
Following Sport New Zealand's community sport strategy, Sport Otago would ''co-ordinate the development of regional sport facility plans to avoid duplication and encourage strategic facility provision across a region''.
In his report to the council, recreation manager Erik van der Spek said the study would determine ''the best price/quality option to meet future indoor recreation needs in Waitaki''.
As the council approved the study, steering group member Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said he expected Sport Otago to produce an objective report but warned ''all too often we see reports that over-egg the economic benefit argument''.
