Public facilities, such as libraries, while being a great way to entertain children, say a lot about what we value as a city, writes Sonya Bateson. Photo / Getty Images
Public facilities, such as libraries, while being a great way to entertain children, say a lot about what we value as a city, writes Sonya Bateson. Photo / Getty Images
OPINION
Let me introduce you briefly to a day in the life of Me.
It's Friday morning. The toddler is dressed and fed, and now we're deciding how to spend our day. I'm a stay-at-home parent (read: limited funds) so the options must be considered carefully.
And, as you're Me,you're going to arrive at the same destination I have today – the library.
I am what's colloquially known as a book nerd, but that's not why we're here (or at least, only partially).
Getting out of the house and going somewhere free is, quite frankly, a treasure. My kid and I sometimes spend hours at the library reading books, playing with puzzles, eating lunch and exploring the stacks.
We go there usually once a fortnight. And I am proud to say my kid is also growing into a card-holding book nerd.
It has its moments. The kid has a wicked memory for a 2-year-old and recites lines from his favourite books verbatim.
It can get pretty funny sometimes – he once approached another kid at the playground and proudly recited, "Hey you! Want to fight? Oh, you're not big enough anyway!" (from Eric Carle's The Bad-Tempered Ladybird) – thankfully, the other child didn't take him up on the offer.
We frequent all of Tauranga's libraries, but our particular favourite is Greerton Library – the kid loves to sit at the big windows and watch the world go by, while I appreciate the easy parking.
Public facilities like these can make or break a city.
They're places that foster community, connection and, more than anything else, accessibility is guaranteed to everyone.
Our facilities are a reflection of the people who live here – how we spend our public funds shows what we think is important, what's worth investing in.
What do our public investments say about our city?
Tauranga has three pretty darn awesome libraries, and one that was ... errr ... neglected. The central city library has the best range of books, lovely staff (but then they all do!) - and stachybotrys for a neighbour.
Inside the new Tauranga library. Photo / Talia Parker
They've all (barring the mould) been relocated to their new home in Devonport Rd, He Puna Manawa.
The old building is finally going to be demolished to make way for a new civic amenities block, plans yet to be finalised.
I've had a look at some of the new artist's impressions for the large block of land and I mostly like what I see.
It seems there is a greater priority being placed on open outdoor spaces and pedestrian accessibility than currently exists, which I like.
I am so bored of the boxy grey-and-charcoal concrete and glass structures that have been en vogue for so long and I'm happy to see sketches of the new buildings are for a softer design with texture, colour and plant life.
The sprawling expanses of cobblestone and concrete did make me shudder. I'll be hoping for more gardens and grass space in the final design.
Ideally, I'd like to see something that's as special to Tauranga as the museum and Government Gardens are to Rotorua.
Somewhere you can go – at no cost – to hang out and explore. We obviously don't have the expanse of public land, the mud pools in parking lots and the gorgeous historic buildings that Rotorua has, but there should be something, anything, to make people want to spend time – and money – here.
That's the key to Tauranga's CBD issues, isn't it? People need a reason to visit, a desire to linger, and an incentive to return.
With the new Farmers development at the southern end of the Devonport Rd shopping strip, I think the city needs some form of anchor tenant somewhere in the northernmost part of the CBD.
Not necessarily another big-box retailer, but a destination, a reason for us to walk up and down the streets and open our wallets. Shoppers come for the big tenants and stay for the little ones.
A civic building obviously isn't going to fix our city. We're not going to spend $300 million on pretty buildings and some open space and hey presto! all the city's problems are over.
After all, the city centre, at least in my opinion, has been declining slowly but surely since its other anchor tenant, Kmart, left 20-something years ago. It might take that long again to reverse the damage.
Imagine you want to open a cafe in the CBD. That leafy green space outside your shop window is going to look pretty attractive to you, people on their lunch breaks will grab a takeaway latte and park up on the grass for half an hour to enjoy a bit of sunshine and fresh air.
And when another business owner is looking for somewhere to open a new clothing boutique, that busy little square where people like to mix and mingle is a natural fit – after all, happy and relaxed people spend more money.
Or, imagine being a stay-at-home parent trying to simultaneously entertain a toddler and stay sane.
Give me some picture books, a coffee and a patch of grass to curl up on and that's our day sorted. One day at least.
Sonya Bateson is a writer, reader, and crafter raising her family in Tauranga. She is a Millennial who enjoys eating avocado on toast, drinking lattes and defying stereotypes. As a sceptic, she reserves the right to change her mind when presented with new evidence.
