Three sports groups are set to benefit from a share of $150,00 in Franklin Local Board support.
The money, being allocated under the board’s Franklin Sport and Active Recreation Facilities Plan, will go to mountain biking, netball and boating.
The Pohutukawa Coast Bike Club has been allocated $70,285 to help build new tracks and winter-proof others in the Whitford Forest.
Board chair Andy Baker says the tracks will be available for community use. “The club has about 500 members and that's growing steadily, and walkers and runners will also use the tracks.
“Participation in mountain biking is expected to increase over the next 20-30 years and the Whitford and Maraetai forestry blocks have been identified as sub-regional facilities, meaning they’ll attract riders from the local and wider areas.”
The club has secured $75,000 to contribute to the project and will maintain the tracks with regular working bees.
The Maraetai Beach Boating Club’s grant is $46,545 towards renovating toilets and changing rooms, and to lay a concrete pad.
“The club opens its facilities so community groups can hire the clubrooms,” Baker says.
“It’s had a stable membership for years of about 1500, and as more homes appear in the area participation in water-based recreation can only grow.
“The project will better meet the needs of the users and the club will maintain and renew the facilities and can also contribute $35,000 to the project.”
The third grant, $33,170, goes to the Pukekohe Netball Centre towards resealing a netball court with a rubber surface.
“The netball centre also opens its facilities to community groups for hire and with more than 2000 members already, it’s going to continue to be a critical part of our sporting landscape,” Baker says.
The club will maintain the new surface, which is expected to last about a decade, and contribute $10,000 to the project.
