An open day will be held at the end of this month to help inform and guide a community-led project for a possible new Community Facility in Ngaruawahia.
On behalf of the steering group for the project, the Ngaruawahia Community Board and Waikato District Council invite the people of Ngaruawahia to the open day to review the work undertaken to date, and to have their say on two possible locations for the facility – the current Ngaruawahia War Memorial Hall site or the current library site.
The facility could potentially house the library, Twin Rivers Art Centre and Community Arts Space, a gallery space for exhibition and community spaces (youth activity space, meeting space, media room, kitchen area).
The Community Board is keen to hear from the community what they would like to see within the facility.
Their opinions of what they would like included in the community spaces and what services they might want at the library will be invaluable.
The open day will be held at the Anglican Hall on October 28 from 10am to 1pm and will be hosted by the Ngaruawahia Community Board. A sausage sizzle will be running on the day.
For those that cannot make the open day, there is an opportunity to provide feedback or suggestions online via an informal survey running from 18 October to 5 November on the Council website at www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/facilitysurvey
In 2016 a community steering group was formed to progress a community facility for Ngaruawahia.
The group has been working hard and identified the two possible sites, which were taken to Council earlier this year for endorsement. The process for identifying the two sites was an evaluation of Council-owned land within Ngaruawahia ward that was central and would lend itself to a community hub development.
Since then the group have been working on a feasibility study for the two sites identified, to come up with a preferred option.
The Ngaruawahia Community Board and Council want the Ngaruawahia community to have their say before the preferred option is finalised.
“We want to use this open day to check in with the community and make sure we’re on the right track as we progress our feasibility study,” said Ngaruawahia Community Board chairman James Whetu.
“Our community working group’s vision is, “Connecting our communities through creativity and knowledge – a legacy for the future – uniquely Ngaruawahia”, and we would love the community to play their part to ensure the finished facility reflects that vision.”
Information gathered from the open day and the survey will be used in the feasibility study, from which a preferred option will be chosen and presented to Council.
