The Thames War Memorial Civic Centre is to get rewired in an upgrade that will see fast broadband installed in the council-owned property.

The Thames-Coromandel District Council also plans to refurbish parts of the centre to create two leasable office spaces which may be used by the Thames i-SITE and Destination Coromandel.

A planned upgrade of the Thames War Memorial Civic Centrewill see broadband installed plus the creation of two leasable office spaces. Photo: TCDC

Thames Area manager Greg Hampton says there is an agreement in principle with the two organisations but the deal is not quite 'done and dusted yet”.

Costings for the refurbishment have to be finalised, which are expected next week, and then the Thames Community Board will need to sign off on the arrangement and the funding.

'It's a far better location for the i-SITE in Thames, utilising a public space that is currently under-utilised,” says Greg. 'As part of the move, InterCity buses would also stop at the Civic Centre.”

Destination Coromandel, the regional tourism operator, works out of Goldfields Shopping Centre and the i-SITE is on the southern end of Pollen Street, where buses currently stop.

'The revamped Civic Centre will provide a great connection between Pollen St and the shopping centre and reinvigorate that part of town.”

Economic Development Programme manager Ben Dunbar-Smith says the broadband upgrade is expected to cost about $20,000.

Once commissioned it would take about a week to be up and running and provide ADSL2/VDSL fast broadband and WiFi capability for visitors.

Ben has also negotiated with Chorus to bring forward their upgrade of Kopu's broadband from June 2016 to April 2015.

Businesses near the Kopu roundabout - which are served by a different telecoms cabinet than the rest of Kopu - will see an upgrade to their broadband by June.