Building the dream

Buildings are made of more than metal, wood, glass and concrete. This one is also made of bingo nights, concerts, and sausage sizzles.

Community collaboration is being praised as the driving force as Ōmokoroa’s new $1.6 million sports pavilion turned from a dream into a reality.

The purpose-built two-storey facility (1050m2) was officially opened on Friday 25th September as home base for the Ōmokoroa Sport and Recreation Society and the new temporary location for the District Council’s Library and Service Centre.

Society Chair Richard Gerrish thanked community supporters, external grant funders, the Council, the Community Board and his committee.

“The executive team of myself, treasurer Dennis Cresswell, secretary Andrea Willoughby and Vicki Knell combined strong professional expertise, and together we managed the design, funding applications and construction phase,” says Richard.

The feasibility study started in 2016 with Stufken and Chambers Architects concept work, as Rider Levett Bucknall quantity surveyors prepared construction budgets.

Mayor Garry Webber says the pavilion was an aspiration when he was elected to the Community Board in 2009 with Glenn Whittaker, Graeme Taylor and Robert Hicks.

“Ōmokoroa has grown in population and diversity since then. This current pavilion leadership group have taken the vision and converted it to reality.”

The pavilion includes changing rooms, a referee’s space, a social space, a large activity space and kitchen.

The new library has been funded through the Ōmokoroa Community Board’s town centre budget and Council’s Replacement Reserve Fund. Council will keep the old pavilion and is considering a shortlist of sites for its relocation.

In addition to pavilion funds raised by the Society, there were grants from TECT, Lotteries, NZCT, Bay Trust and the Wright Family, $146,000 from the community, $100,000 from the Ōmokoroa Community Board, and Council funding for accessible toilets.

After 14 years, the previous “temporary” library at McDonnell Street was closed from 18th to 21st September while Ōmokoroa Football Club volunteers shifted 10,000 books.

The building was expanded and refitted from its previous use as the site office for the Ōmokoroa Wastewater Treatment project.

The new library has a multi-lingual book checkout machine, which even speaks Pirate.

OSRS Chair Rick Gerrish and Mayor Garry Webber cut the ribbon.

Phillip Gundersen signwriting the day before the official opening.

Leanne and Liz had a busy weekend shifting the entire library contents.

The new pavilion dwarfs the building it replaces.

The OSRS committee made this dream a reality.