Shake-up for Westown’s Star Gym users
All the users and tenants might suffer some temporary inconvenience.
Kelvin Wright
A number of community groups could soon lose their facilities to make way for the Taranaki Rugby Football Union, which has been forced to move out of it’s earthquake prone base.
In November the main stand at Yarrow Stadium was deemed to be an earthquake prone, which saw tenants Taranaki Rugby Football Union (TRFU) and KDJ Catering immediately vacated.
The TSB East Stand includes the coaches box, changing sheds, locker rooms, the recently renovated Legends Lounge and corporate boxes but there has been no indication on how these facilities will be provided during the 2018 rugby season.
But last week at a meeting at Westown’s Star Memorial Gym between the gym’s control committee and New Plymouth District Council, the possibility of the TRFU using the gym for its training facilities was discussed.
The Star Memorial Gym is immediately behind Yarrow Stadium’s West Stand and is owned by the NPDC. It is used by community groups to play such things as badminton and indoor bowls and host events such as bird shows.
NPDC’s recreation and culture manager Teresa Turner, chief operating officer Kelvin Wright, councillors John McLeod and Mike Merrick as well as members of the gym’s committee and at least 22 gym members were in attendance at Thursday’s meeting. Though members of the gym were asked not to speak during the meeting, many interrupted with anger at council’s proposal that the facility be used by the TRFU.
But no decision has yet been made and in an emailed statement on Friday, Wright said it would be up to the TRFU to decide where they would train for the season. He said any decision to take on the Westown gym would only be made after the Building Consent Authorities had analysed the 100 page technical report on the East Stand and delivered its analysis to council. The future of the stand could involve strengthening work or demolition. But attendees at the Thursday meeting questioned whether the decision to take over the gym had already been made, as the council had installed internet to the gym the week before.
In Wright’s Friday statement he said that given the tight time lines, a decision had been made to do a small amount of work at the club ahead of any final assessment and decisions on the East Stand.
‘‘This infrastructure will have future value for the site,’’ he said.
While attendees were angered by the news their gym could be taken over, they were mostly disappointed in what they said was the council’s lack of communication. It was said members were only made aware of losing their gym through rumours, with some not knowing the context for Thursday’s meeting until the record from a previous meeting about the takeover option was read aloud.
Turner said ‘‘these situations unfold day by day’’ and council could only ‘‘respond to the information put in front of us’’.
Gym members will have to wait at least another week to know if they’ll lose their premises.
Wright said ‘‘some members would be able to keep using the gym’’ while others would be relocated. ‘‘The fact is that all the users and tenants might suffer some temporary inconvenience until issues with the East Stand are resolved,’’ he said.