Questions asked over Mercury Bay Sports Park budget

The Thames Coromandel District Council is having to answer questions over the rising cost of its, still to be completed, Mercury Bay Sports Park.

While netballers have been using five new asphalt netball courts at the facility since last June, other parts of the ambitious facility remain incomplete.

In addition, costs have exceeded $8 million, $2 million beyond the $6 million budgeted for the Whitianga facility.

The Council has recently received two independent reports, from professional services company Deloitte and a human resources consultant, into the rising costs of the project.

Mayor Glenn Leach told the Waikato Times "there is a blow out in the Mercury Bay Sports Park budget."

Mayor Leach said the council had approved changing facilities and public toilets as part of the development but instead it had been made big enough for a grandstand with seating for 1,000 and corporate boxes.

When complete, the community of 4,000 people will have a facility of 10 hectares including the five netball courts along with five playing fields built to international rugby size for rugby, rugby league and football; three tennis courts; changing facilities and public toilets and 220-capacity car park.

The project has been managed by the Mercury Bay Recreation Trust whose role, as noted on the Council's website said, is to "promote and develop the Mercury Bay Sports Park."

The website also states "tasks include establishing a governing body for the sports park and applying for external funding for various aspects of the park that will not be funded by the Thames-Coromandel District Council."

19th July 2012 - NETBALLERS GET FIRST USE OF NEW FACILITIES AT MERCURY BAY SPORT PARK

12th December 2008 - PROJECT SPARKS SWIMMING BOOM IN THAMES VALLEY DISTRICT