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the hub team to look at ideas
 the hub architect Bill Jackson, standing, with sports representatives at the project stakeholders' meeting. From left are James Whittington and Amy Godinez (badminton), Graeme Mehrtens (basketball) and Karen Brooks (netball)
the hub project team will investigate suggestions made by sports groups planning to base themselves at the complex, after a meeting of stakeholders in Hawera on Saturday.
Representatives of about 10 sports organisations, from netball to athletics, spent three hours going over concept plans for the $21.6 million Hicks Park redevelopment with the project managers, architect and quantity surveyor. Hawera High School, which will be a major user of the facility, was also represented.
Options for the siting and alignment of both outdoor fields and indoor courts will be explored, and architect Bill Jackson was asked to investigate ways to increase the capacity of the building's first floor function area so it could host events like the annual sports awards. There were also requests for more changing areas and for toilets to be sited near the netball courts.
The outdoor ground layout will also be reviewed to see if Southern Rugby Club's concerns about the east-west alignment of the main field can be alleviated by switching it to another field. It was suggested that the artificial turf planned for use by hockey could be relocated to be beside the stadium, as the centerpiece of an athletics track. That would make a north-south aligned field adjoining the netball courts area available for rugby.
South Taranaki District Council will begin construction of the the hub early next year. Fundraising is under way for up to $8 million in addition to the $13.65 million committed by the Council. Applications for significant amounts have been lodged with TSB Community Trust and gaming machine trusts. The Ministry of Education will also be approached for a contribution in recognition of the importance of the new facility to Hawera High School sports programmes.
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