The new Bunnythorpe Community Centre overlooks the village's recreation ground and war memorial. Photo / Judith Lacy
The new Bunnythorpe Community Centre overlooks the village's recreation ground and war memorial. Photo / Judith Lacy
Santa has a new addition to his list this year - Bunnythorpe Community Centre.
While Covid-19 has postponed a community opening, one whānau will be enjoying Christmas Day at the Raymond St centre.
Palmerston North City Council owns the building and the community centre association leases it.
The new community centre was built by Maycroft Construction. Photo / Judith Lacy
The hall canseat 100 while there is also a kitchen and toilets. A small meeting room can sit about 10 people and it has handwashing facilities with the thought it could be hired for medical consultations.
The centre overlooks Bunnythorpe Recreational Ground and there are also home and away changing rooms, a storage room for the rugby club and an external toilet. The old changing rooms have been demolished.
"The bookings have been steady and we haven't even tried so it's been very heartwarming," association chairwoman Anne Russell says.
A family group have booked the centre for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The association plans to market the centre to businesses on the eastern side of Palmerston North for staff training or planning days.
Having the centre completed is an early Christmas gift for the community.
"It has been a long time getting here and it's been a difficult journey at times. I liken it a bit like a steeplechase over a few hurdles but we haven't fallen, we've got past the finishing line now."
Russell says it is extremely hard to get grants for a new facility because often the criteria cannot be met, eg letters from people hiring the centre.
"How could we provide letters when we had nothing to market?"
She thinks some residents were becoming cynical whether the centre would actually happen.
"Some people believed it would never happen, sometimes I wondered too. You felt like you were banging your head against a brick wall applying for grants because there were so many people in New Zealand doing the same thing."
Bunnythorpe's old hall, on Campbell Rd where the children's playground is now, was demolished by Manawatū District Council in 2008.
"We've been arguing for a replacement ever since," Russell says.
Supporters of a community centre also had to contend with the 2012 boundary change, when the village become part of Palmerston North City Council.
"Nothing really happened until Grant Smith became mayor. We lobbied him and he said yes, Bunnythorpe needs something, and things started to move from there."
The first plans for a much bigger centre had to be shelved when grant funding was not forthcoming. "We had to be realistic and build to our budget."
The new kitchen includes a sanitiser for the dishes. Photo / Judith Lacy
The centre cost $1.6 million with $360,000 from the community and the rest from grants and the council. The council underwrote the last $107,000 needed for construction to start.
"It's just so good we built when we did because it would have cost a lot more [with the price of materials increasing]," Russell says.
Chapple Architecture practice director Susie Elms was "a great person to work with", as was Maycroft Construction, which donated quite a bit to the centre. Russell says the association is very grateful to them and the organisations that gave grants.
To book the centre ring 021 056 6216 or email bunnythorpe.cc@gmail.com.
