Arataki residents' choice of location for their new community centre has perplexed some Tauranga City Councillors.
Even though the community is adamant and unanimous about locating the $3 million development near the Arataki skate bowl, there were still councillors who voted against it, believing that siting the new community centre in what is already the community's centre is not the best option.

In the more than two hours it took for them to reach a decision, the graffiti they saw on the skate bowl during the site visit was mentioned several times in the discussion as a negative factor that weighed their decision making
in favour of other locations.
Even after talking with Mount Maunganui police senior sergeant Tania Kura, they still didn't get it. The heavily graffiti covered Arataki skatebowl is already the centre of an active and vibrant community, with its own criminal elements.
The police want the new community centre next to the skatebowl so they can have a police presence there. The council's surveillance cameras haven't worked for about a year, says Tania, because the council doesn't have a maintenance programme.
The police also want the community centre near the skatebowl because they want the community to take ownership of the bowl and the immediate neighbourhood, says Tania.
In the past the Arataki skatebowl has been the scene of robberies. Cell phones, bikes and skateboards have been taken from time to time.
Councillors agreed to a location near the skatebowl, but only after the ‘option one' location was blurred with the addition of an 'in the vicinity of”.
The change was to keep the votes of councillors who wanted to support the community but are concerned about the off road location and councillor Rick Curach in particular wants it built beside Girven Road.
The next vote was for the design-build option. The project is budgeted to cost between $3.2 million and $3.6 million if done by traditional tender. As a design-built project the council is anticipating saving about $500,000 in consultancy and planning costs.
Councillors Wayne Moultrie, David Stewart and Rick Curach are appointed to the Arataki Community Centre Project Steering group, along with group manger city services Ian McDonald. They will talk with the Community Advisory Group about the design details.
The new centre will replace the existing Arataki hall and amenities block on Granada Park which is accessed off Monowai Street.