Car park to get seal of approval
It’s been a long time coming but $15,000 is all that stands in the way of Eastlink getting a new car park.
The sports centre on Old Farm Rd, Hamilton East, has been rallying for the upgrade for more than two years.
As it is now, the car park is hazardous and cannot deal with the thoroughfare, Eastlink chairman TJ Weistra said.
The painted markings have disappeared, pot holes are causing havoc, and drivers speed along the loose chip seal with disregard for passers-by.
‘‘It has disintegrated a lot faster in the last five years,’’ Weistra said.
‘‘What also played quite a big part was the Wairere Drive extension because a lot of heavy machinery used this to park.
‘‘The council had been forced to do some work after the extension - parts were so bad that they came and reinforced it. In the years after that, the space has started to fall apart.’’
Eastlink is home to six sporting facilities including badminton, squash, tennis and karate.
The sport complex was quoted $75,000 to asphalt the car park, repaint the markings and incorporate a one-way traffic flow system.
So far they have raised $60,000, which includes a $10,000 commitment from the member sports. Much of their funding has been provided by trusts.
Weistra also discovered that Eastlink seemed to be the only Hamilton sports centre that had the car park included in its lease.
‘‘I rang five or six different facilities - Gallagher Hockey, Seddon Park, FMG Stadium, Marist Rugby, Trust Waikato Netball Centre - none of them have their car park included in their lease.’’
Weistra knows it is the complex’s responsibility to maintain the car park, but said council was happy to remove the car park from the lease - only after the upgrades were completed.
But now that it’s come to fruition, Weistra doesn’t think he’ll say farewell to their hard work - just yet.
The council’s parks and recreation manager Maria Barrie said each complex is considered on a case-by-case basis.
When the lease was signed in 2005, including the car park, it was beneficial in offering the owners the ability to effectively manage the space, she said.