Work is now underway to establish a high-performance sports training centre in the heart of Mount Maunganui.
And the facility has its first tenant, with New Zealand Rugby confirming it will use the centre as a training base for its men's and women's sevens sides.
Bay Venues Ltd CEO Gary Dawson outside the Cosmopolitan Club building that will be transformed into a Sports Centre of Excellence. Photo: Supplied.
Further tenants are due to be announced over the coming month.
Bay Venues chief executive Gary Dawson says it is an endorsement of what is on offer, and recognition of the world-class facility that is being created.
'We have said from the start it will be an asset for the city,” says Gary, 'as it would be recognised nationally and internationally as a great place for skill development and sporting career growth.
'We are seeing this already. It will be used by New Zealand Rugby's Sevens players, for example, as their training base as they head into a very important year leading up to the Olympics.”
Work has begun on the project, with contractors on site last week at the former Mount Maunganui Cosmopolitan Club, which is being converted into the training centre at Blake Park.
The centre will cater for a wide range of sports and performance organisations, sports science research and athlete medical support services.
It will complement Tauranga's existing facilities at neighbouring Blake Park and other facilities run by Bay Venues, including Baywave, Mount Maunganui Hot Pools, ASB Baypark and ASB Arena.
Gary says establishing such a facility is in line with Bay Venue's philosophy of enhancing the community through the provision of excellent leisure and sporting facilities.
Tauranga City Council has agreed to fund up to $1million toward the project proposed by Bay Venues Limited.
It is up to Bay Venues to raise the additional $2m for the internal fit-out and purchase of gym equipment.
Council's financial input will cover the upgrade of the building in accordance with watertight and seismic requirements.
Initial work on site includes commencing the interior gut-out and erecting the temporary scaffolding and wrap to allow external weather-tightness work to begin.
Tauranga City Mayor Stuart Crosby says overwhelming support for the project has come from a wide range of representatives from the sports world.
The project is set to be completed by the end of December 2015.
7 comments
here we go ....
Posted on 13-07-2015 11:39 | By YOGI BEAR
Let the losses and debt grow just like before, a repeat season with all the same results. Watch this space.
$1 million?
Posted on 13-07-2015 14:47 | By YOGI BEAR
The total planned cost (the actual will be a lot more) is about $4 million so Bay venues will need to borrow $3 million, but no worries folks, TCC ratepayers will pay it all off for them next year, easy as, just add to rates.
cracked record
Posted on 13-07-2015 18:21 | By usandthem
How unusual for Yogi bear to waffle on about costs to ratepayers ignoring the positives.Yogi,the rates are cheaper in Waiouru,particularly near the army's firing range.
EMPERORS NEW CLOTHES SEQUEL
Posted on 13-07-2015 20:07 | By ROCCO
This has all the looks of Empire building about it.A freebee $6.5m building and god knows what else and BVL/TCC are suffering from delusions of grandeur if they think it will be a commercial operation in any sense of the word. Provide the projected full annual rental figures or stop goofing off at every opportunity about this millstone.You can count your winnings(?) at the table when the dealings done.
Bare all?
Posted on 14-07-2015 11:21 | By YOGI BEAR
The rental to be paid is minimal, a fraction of the cost, the rates will take another hit there. It has to be very difficult to get sport to sign up, they also need assurances of income to be able to pay. The usual trick here is that TCC give them money and they turn around and give it to BVL, it's a kind of magical way to create income from nothing. Then everyone is happy and a bonus is also paid.
usandthem
Posted on 14-07-2015 12:02 | By YOGI BEAR
Thanks for the advice, but you miss the point of what is going on. The purported benefits are a sham and have been created only to justify the spend up at the start. Sadly the news after that will be bad and getting worse by the day. That sadly for all ratepayers is just how it is.
ROCCO
Posted on 14-07-2015 12:03 | By YOGI BEAR
Of course, that then means that all those there first get paid more. The concept is easy, the more grunters on the floor the more salary for all the Muppets above, it is why they exist, it is what they do.
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