A local community group is raising funds to create a new playground with a BBQ area and outdoor basketball court for the youth of Tauranga.
The grassy area outside Baywave in Arataki will be transformed into a place the whole community can enjoy, if Arataki Community Advisory Group (ACAG) achieves
their goals. The group has been instrumental in raising funds for the $2.8 million Arataki Community Centre, which opened in September 2011. The new playground initiative was an extension to the initial project.
ACAG and Mount Maunganui Neighbourhood Support spokesperson Marie Gilpin said the centre needed to cement its place as a "community focal point" and to do so, other activities and facilities needed to be added in and around it to provide positive opportunities, especially for young people.
ACAG launched the Arataki Fundraising Campaign yesterday and planned to fund the project in conjunction with successful grants from City Partners, TECT, the Lion Foundation and Tauranga City Council. Since the Arataki Community Centre opened, about 35 groups regularly use the facility to provide a range of activities for the community.
