Friday 19 June 2015

Work begins on Aranui Youth and Community Facility

Work on Christchurch City Council's first new community centre to be built from scratch since the 2011 earthquakes, the Aranui Youth and Community Facility, begins on Monday 22 June.

Construction will take approximately a year, with the new facility set to open at 31 Hampshire Street in early-mid 2016, and was marked with a sod-turning by Mayor Lianne Dalziel, Lions Clubs International Foundation Liaison Digby Prosser and Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust Trustee Dr Rod Carr on Friday 19 June.

The new facility will incorporate activity, meeting and office space – resources that have been sorely missed in the community in the absence of the Wainoni Aranui Family Centre and the Aranui Community Hall in Breezes Road, both of which have been demolished after sustaining earthquake damage. The new facility is being built on the former site of the Wainoni Aranui Family Centre.

"The local community has watched this project come to fruition step-by-step," Mayor Dalziel says. "Locals have seen the previous facilities demolished and, while that was going on, they've been talking with us about what they wanted to see in the replacement. The concept and design have been very much community-driven, and now they get to see the vision become reality. I think the people of Aranui will be proud of the end result.

"We're extending a big thank-you to the community for their help and to our donors for their generosity, especially Lions Clubs International and the anonymous donor who contributed so much to the CEAT for the benefit of young people in the east," Mayor Dalziel says.

"This family centre and the Eastern Recreation and Sport Centre have been the beneficiaries of this largesse and we will never be able to say thank you enough."

A total of $5.9 million has been set aside for the project, including $1 million from the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust and $450,000 from Lions Club International Foundation.

"Every community benefits from a focal point like this – somewhere to gather for all manner of events, be it sports, performances or meetings," says Mr Prosser. "Lions International recognised this need and we've thrown our support behind the project. Lions is all about making a difference, and in this case the community is getting a high-quality facility that will meet their needs for generations."

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