New Rakaia Recreation Centre Due To Open By Rugby Season

Monday, 10 February 2025, 9:19 pm
Article: Jonathan Leask - Local Democracy Reporter

The new Rakaia Recreation Centre will be finished by the end of March, despite the building's low water pressure causing problems.

Project manager Mark Boag said it is getting down to the finishing touches on the $1.8m facility.

“Hopefully it will be all finished in about a month.

“We are down to getting the kitchen finished with the bar, and the chillers are in.

“The carpet is there ready to go down.

“The changing rooms are just about finished and we are doing the deck around the outside at the moment.”

It should be ready to use by the start of the rugby season in early April and a date for any official opening was yet to be looked at, he said.

The new single-story building will have clubrooms, with a commercial kitchen and bar that can fit up to 150 people, and it is elevated so spectators can view games from the wrap-around, covered deck.

The old Rakaia Rugby Club changing rooms and public toilets facility were demolished to make way for the modern fit-for-purpose community facility, with construction starting in January last year.

Delays have affected the construction, with water pressure issues the latest problem.

“We had to connect to the town supply and then we worked out to run the public toilets, showers and everything it needed a lot more pressure,” Boag said.

Ashburton District Council open spaces manager Ian Soper provided an update on the issue at the recent council activity briefing meeting.

He said the problem is the Rakaia town supply doesn’t have the volume to run the facility at a peak flow.

“All the showers, all the toilets as well as the new six-cubicle public toilet on the end.”

The solution is the reserve board funding two holding tanks and a pump which will be able to deliver the required pressure for the facility he said.

The public toilets are a separate $351,000 part of the facility funded by the council and as they also require the pressure boost the council would be contributing to the project, Soper said.

Boag said it was an easy fix, with the tanks and pump to be installed by the end of the month.

The plan is to have it ready for Rakaia's first home senior rugby game against Celtic on April 6, but there has been plenty of interest from other community groups seeking to use it as well Boag said.

One of those booked in is the Rakaia Hockey Club’s 125-year celebrations at the end of April, Boag said.

Troubled toilet block to go

The old toilet block in the Rakaia Domain which is a regular source of vandalism will likely be demolished once the Rakaia Recreation Centre is finished.

The old toilet block, next to the Rakaia Bowling Club, has been hit by incidents of smashed pipes, gate removal, hinges and bolts being stolen.

Council open spaces manager Ian Soper said that once the new public toilets are open, at the end of the Rakaia Rec Centre, the old block would need to be decommissioned as they are no longer required.

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