Business North October 2021

30 | to page 0 Centre revamp underway from page 28 The redevelopment of the Rotorua Aquatic Centre is a major investment for the Rotorua Lakes Council. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Rotorua Lakes Council / Naylor Love: Rotorua Aquatic Centre Specialising in the design and installation of composite decking solutions for commercial and residential environments. Operating in and around Tauranga, Rotorua and the wider Bay of Plenty 022 341 1750 o ce@baywoodconstruction.co.nz www.baywoodconstruction.co.nz RSS have specialised in Structural Steel for over 20 years but we also fabricate and weld, mild steel, stainless and aluminium products. Our aim is to provide you the best quality work, to your requirements, delivered on time! 07 348 8787 | www.rotoruasteelstructures.co.nz Does your next project need steel? The new pool is slightly deeper and slightly longer, has a new filtration system, stainless steel gutters, liner and a new decking area sur- rounding the pool. A bulkhead has also been installed to provide extra options for lane and leisure swimming. Jocelyn says the pool sets the high standard that council wants to achieve for the rest of the Aquatic Centre. The Aquatic Centre caters for local, regional and national aquatic sports, and provides recreational, health, fitness and leisure pro- grammes and services. The 50 metre pool is the only heated outdoor pool of that length in New Zealand available for use all year round. The centre attracts more than 350,000 visits per year and the learn to swim’ programme teaches more than 67,000 lessons annually making it one of the biggest swim schools in the country. Rotorua Lakes Council manager of the sports, recreation and environment team, Rob Pitkethley, says that, although the main purpose of the redevelopment is to improve a valuable community asset that plays a big role in helping locals gain confidence in and around water, it has also made the pool a very attractive training facility. “We do get a lot of national, and at times international, training clubs and squads come here for camps. We expect the facility will complement gyms and other outdoor spaces adding to the whole ‘Rotorua’ package.” The project was confirmed following positive community feedback on the redevel- opment proposed in the 2018-2028 Long- term Plan. Council reflected this feedback by committing $7.5m to go towards the initial stages of the redevelopment of the Aquatic Centre facilities. Council has been working with the Aquatic Centre’s management company CLM as well as pool users and community members to ensure it meets the needs of the people of Rotorua. The full redevelopment of the Aquatic Centre was signalled as requiring major investment in the 2021-2031 Long-term Plan and options for the level of investment were put to the community for consultation earlier this year. Rotorua Councillors adopted the Long-term Plan in June 2021, and committed to progressing the full redevelopment with an investment of $28.3m of which council will contribute $17.9m. Rob says that Rotorua Lakes Council is working on a phased approach to the redevel- opment of the Centre. “It’s about bringing the facilities up to a standard the community expects and provid- ing the best platform for long-term use of the Centre. “This initial investment is critical in order to attract potential external investors for further developments. Subsequent stages have the potential to include development of café and gymnasium, enhanced outdoor water play area, hydro slides and a dedicated bombing pool.”