Resource consent has now been granted for the Thames High School indoor sports facility which clears the way for work to proceed on of the project.

The project group is now working on a procurement strategy and an update report will be presented when the Thames Community Board meets on Monday, April 13 April.

A preliminary design for the new Thames Indoor Sports Facility. Resource consent for the project was granted recently. Image: TCDC

As part of that procurement strategy includes the finalising of a legal agreement with the Ministry Of Education.

The community has pledged $310,000 so far toward the Active Thames 2018 programme for the Skate Park, Thames Indoor Sports Facility and the Rhodes Park upgrade.

An application to the NZ Lotteries Community Facilities Fund was submitted last month and the Thames-Coromandel District Council is awaiting the decision announcement sometime in June.

'Preliminary designs have been completed in full and we thank Glen Brebner from BBGB Team Architects for the incredible level of detail provided in these preliminary plans.” says council.

Active Thames 2018 is an initiative by the Thames Community Board, together with the Thames Sport and Education Community Trust.

The initiative aims to build a new skate park at Porritt Park, new indoor gymnasium located at Thames High School, and a multi-sport clubrooms development at Rhodes Park.

The goal is to complete all three projects by the end of 2018, with the skate park the first project goal, but local fundraising for all three projects is now under way as one combined effort.

Council needs to get close to $1 million of local support, and with public grant funding for all three projects over time, raise over one-third of the total project costs – about $2.5 million of the combined $7.2 million cost.

To view the preliminary design click here (PLEASE NOTE: PDF is 25MB)

The location plan for the Thames Indoor Sports Facility. Image: TCDC