Te Puke Recreation and Aquatic Centre Feasibility Study

1.0 IntroductionVisitor Solutions Ltd has been commissioned by Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Te Puke High Schoolto undertake a holistic feasibility study for the proposed Te Puke Aquatic and Indoor Recreation Facility.The scope of the project included carrying out consultation and needs analysis research, consideration ofpotential sites, designing a preliminary concept ‘master plan’, examining preliminary operational costs andrevenue streams, preparing an overall development programme, examining potential governance structuresand establishing the likely development costs.1.1 BackgroundAn outdoor 33 metre aquatic facility is situated adjacent to the Te Puke High School on MoE land. Known asthe Te Puke Aquatic Centre and Memorial Pool, the facility has been in existence since 1961.The pool complex has been operated under a variety of structures over this time, including directly by theCouncil and by local swimming clubs (pool user). It is currently owned and managed by the Te Puke HighSchool. The Western Bay of Plenty District Council (WBOPDC) has an annual Service Delivery Contract (SDC)with the Te Puke High School, which is used to assist meeting operational costs associated with public use. TheWBOPDC has also entered into a Deed of Agreement with the School Board of Trustees to ensure public accessto the Pool.The pool has been experiencing a significant leak since 2009 and investigations in to the cause remain ongoing.However, it is clear that the pool is likely to be coming to the end of its anticipated life.Te Puke High School also currently has a one court gymnasium that was developed in the early 1970s. Untilrecently the facility was shared with a variety of community groups. However, increased use by the school dueto its roll growth has prevented the continuation of this arrangement. This has lead to some communitygroups being displaced.This lack of indoor gymnasium space has also been recognised by the Ministry of Education (MoE). A key factorfor Te Puke High School being interested in the development of a new indoor gymnasium is that they areentitled under MoE guidelines to new gymnasium space after 2012. The guidelines state this space is to beequivalent to 1.6 basket ball courts.Te Puke High School reviewed its ten year property plan in 2009 and identified there was a need to replace theexisting gymnasium in 2010/11 and the pool on or about 2012/13.The Western Bay of Plenty District Council has also identified, through various planning documents includingthe Te Puke 20 Year Development Plan outcomes, the potential need for a pool complex with integratedaquatic and recreational facilities. Investigating and resolving these issues was seen as a priority.As a result of the aging pool and gymnasium complex at Te Puke High School, and the Te Puke communityidentifying the need for a long term solution for aquatic and indoor recreation space, the high school andCouncil partnered to undertake a feasibility study.7