New seating design for Bay park
Spectators could have 360-degree views of Golden Bay Recreation Park at Takaka if a new proposal for covered seating gets the nod.
Golden Bay Shared Recreation Facility Inc (GBSRF) is behind the proposal for a double-sided, elevated seating block earmarked for the middle of the park, between the football and rugby-cricket fields.
New board chairwomandesignate Sara Chapman said the suggested location would also offer spectators a clear view of the annual A&P Show grand parade.
It was proposed the board would raise all of the funds for the seating block with no cost falling on Tasman District Council or ratepayers.
‘‘We’ve got a proven track record of fundraising. We raised over $1 million for the rec park centre,’’ Chapman said.
‘‘If this [covered seating] was something the community wanted, it’s a small project compared to the [centre] build.’’
The cost was still to be determined but Chapman said she anticipated it would be less than $500,000.
‘‘If we can’t get the funding for it, then it won’t happen.’’
GBSRF asked Redbox Architects for a concept design of the proposed seating.
The brief to Redbox was that the seating block had to be covered, double-sided, elevated, have space for 300 people and its look needed to complement the recently built rec park centre, Chapman said.
The seating block would sit behind the dead-ball zone of the rugby-cricket fields on unused land. A playground could be built between the seating block and the rec park centre.
A request for a playground had been made via letter by two children whose older siblings played sport but they were too young to join in and wanted something to do at the park, Chapman said.
‘‘We would do one first and the second afterwards,’’ she said of the seating and playground ideas.
GBSRF was prompted to look at the idea for covered seating because of indications from the Golden Bay Grand Stand Community Trust that it was not keen to move the grandstand if it saved the old building from demolition.
The grandstand was to be demolished as part of the development of the new rec park centre with the space it occupies earmarked for car parks.
The planned demolition has been the subject of court proceedings and the trust has been given three months to complete a restoration programme for the grandstand. Meanwhile, the new rec park centre remains partially closed because not all of the car parks required by the building consent are available.
‘‘If they’re [trust] not going to ... take all the component parts and find a more appropriate location, then we have to look at it as a committee,’’ Chapman said. ‘‘If there’s no covered seating, what would we do.’’
The covered seating proposal had been shared with the rec park centre user council and would be considered by the council as landowner.
It was anticipated, the proposal could then go to the Golden Bay Community Board in February and out for wider community consultation.
‘‘As a committee, we’re can-do and we always see opportunities and we say if we can make it happen, let’s make it happen,’’ Chapman said.
‘‘At the moment, we’re saying this is an idea.’’