An additional $278,918 has been allocated to renewing sports field assets by Franklin Local Board.
Chair Angela Fulljames says the bulk of that, $213,918, comes from budget set aside to renew the Bombay War Memorial Hall car park.
“We have been able to defer that work into the next financial year and to reallocate $65,000 that was unspent from irrigation and lighting work at Colin Lawrie Reserve.
“There’s also $30,000 from our local development budget for the Colin Lawrie project, because some of the work on the softball diamond involves enhancements rather than renewals.”
The board’s 2023-2025 Customer and Community Services work programme contained almost $900,000 to renew sports fields.
As projects progress, the cost of delivery can change, impacting budgets, making variations necessary. “Industry build costs affect us, so we have to juggle funds to make up shortfalls that arise from the time of scoping to projects happening,” Fulljames says.
Staff have received a recommendation from the board and the Pukekohe Softball Club to renew a softball diamond backstop fence and dugouts at Colin Lawrie, work that requires a further $278,918 to deliver.
“It makes sense to do that while other work is taking place,” Fulljames says.
“There’s work going on to understand Bombay War Memorial Hall’s future and how best to prioritise any work there. It’s very much still in the work programme, it’s just been moved out. We can wait until the investigation is completed to decide the next steps.”
Stay connected
Want to stay up to date with all the latest news from your area? Sign up for the Franklin Local Board E-News and get it in your inbox each month.
