Tauranga will boast one of the biggest sport and exhibition centres in the country within four years - at a cost of at least $25 million.
City councillors yesterday gave their full support to the indoor centre that will be big enough for nine netball or 12 volleyball courts - with plenty of room for various national championships or a Magic netball final.
Following public consultation, the centre was identified as the top project for inclusion in the 10-Year Plan, and the council wants to have it running by 2010.
Deputy Mayor David Stewart said the centre could become an icon for the city - so long as it was placed centrally and everyone could get to it.
"We would be able to have decent events and exhibitions and, if we built it, then we need something that will last 40 to 50 years. We have to think big," he said.
The councillors spent more than an hour in confidential discussions about the location and costs and afterwards Mayor Stuart Crosby said the council contribution to the centre would be capped at $25 million.
He said the cost of the project could rise depending on the final design and standard of fit-out demanded by the users. Any extra funding would come from the private sector.
A decision still has to be made on the floor surface and whether the building has columns in the middle or is wide-span - factors which will affect the final cost.
The councillors also debated, behind closed doors, three possible locations and a preferred site was decided - council staff will talk with the party involved over the next week.
Mr Crosby said airport land off Jean Batten Drive was discounted because of the traffic pressure it would add to Hewletts Rd.
He said the council was seeking more information on land available on the Matapihi side of the airport - "but that was a long shot".
The other locations could be at Baypark Stadium, which has more than 2000 car parks, and at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic's Windermere campus.
Polytechnic chief executive Alan Hampton suggested during last month's 10-Year Plan submissions that his organisation could contribute to the cost of building the centre and students could use it during the day, thus reducing day-to-day operating costs.
The council had negotiated an arrangement with Baypark owner Bob Clarkson, who planned to build an 11,500sq m exhibition centre. The deal was put on hold by mutual agreement when the council decided to complete a review of the city's indoor facilities.
Following its decision yesterday, the council was proposing a similar sized centre that could be divided into three bays with moveable sound-proof walls.
An exhibition such as a boat or home show could be held in two bays - at the same time a sports event could take place in the other bay.
Exhibition organisers would be charged a commercial rate for using the centre and the fees for sports organisations would rise to match the increased services.
The new facility will take on the workload of the Mount Action Centre. The councillors were told that the Mount centre's four courts were packed and six courts could be filled now.
The council's lease of the Mount Action Centre expires in 2008 but it will seek a two-year extension while the new facility is being built.
The lease costs $650,000 a year and a further $275,000 has for now been assigned to the previous Baypark arrangement - the council will be able to transfer nearly $1 million to the new centre, reducing the operating costs to $2 million a year.
The councillors also decided yesterday that in the next review of the 10-Year Plan in 2009 they will consider adding more indoor sports space.
It would be the equivalent of three netball courts and this space could be added to the nine-court centre or used as a satellite centre elsewhere in the city.
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