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Published: 12 July 2024
Hutt City Council is seeking a new operator for the Ricoh Sports Centre at Fraser Park.
Fraser Park is Lower Hutt’s largest recreational sportsground and the sports centre is an important regional and community multi-use facility.
Fraser Park Sportsville (FPS) who has held the lease for the operation of the centre with Hutt City Council has decided to end this arrangement for commercial reasons.
Mayor Campbell Barry thanked everyone involved for the past few years in providing sports and recreational activities and recognised the significant involvement and contribution of the eight Founding Member Clubs.
“Having spoken to clubs that use the facilities at Fraser Park Sportsville, we know how well-loved the hub is and what it brings to the Lower Hutt sports community.
“We need to allow the ROI process to be followed. We will continue to work together with the clubs at Fraser Park Sportsville as we go through this process.”
Council Chief Executive Jo Miller says, “Council is now working through a process to help secure the future of the sports centre for our community. There are plans that we are working through with FPS to ensure a smooth transition, and I acknowledge the concerns held by some users about the uncertainty in the interim.
“Council and FPS have worked closely together to make the partnership a success however despite the best efforts and hard mahi from everyone involved, FPS advised Council that it could no longer responsibly (financially) continue to operate the facility beyond 30 September 2024.”
A new operator for the Ricoh Sports Centre will be sought through an Expression of Interest process via the Government Electronic Tender Service (GETS). You can find the link to GETS here. The tender number to register is 29768082. Registrations open at 5pm and they close on 9 August.
An independent panel will review applications and provide a report to Council considering the pros and cons of each. Council may also seek presentations from the leading applicants.
Council is looking for a new operator that can deliver broad community benefits from the significant investment it’s made in the building. The new operating model will need to be financially sustainable and reduce the current level of financial risk to Council.
More information about the change of operator for the Ricoh Sports Centre can be found below.
Q&As
How will new operators be found?
An Expression of Interest (EOI) process opened 5pm, 12 July 2024 and will close four weeks later on 9 August 2024. It is open to all groups with an interest in operating the facility.
An independent panel will review applications and provide a report to Council considering the pros and cons of each. Council may also seek presentations from the leading applicants.
Council is looking for an operator that can deliver broad community benefits and understand the basic requirements of the sports clubs to enable them to function. However, the priority will be ensuring the new operating model is financially sustainable and reduces the current level of financial risk to Council.
How do you register an Expression of Interest?
To register an interest in operating the Ricoh Sports Centre at Fraser Park you will need to do so through the Government Electronic Tender Service (GETS). The link to the GETS website is here and the tender number to access the documentation to register is 29768082.
Will the facility close at all?
The plan is for the facility to stay open during the transition phase but if financial circumstances worsen, or it takes a long time to find a new operator, that could be re-evaluated. If the facility had to close, Council would ensure toilets and changing rooms are still accessible to codes training and playing at Fraser Park as they currently are.
Why doesn’t Council just take over running the facility?
Running it ourselves would expose ratepayers to financial risk for something that isn’t a core Council service. We don’t think that’s right.
Why doesn’t Council fund it like other facilities?
Ricoh Sports Centre isn’t a core service. It’s operation was always intended to stand on its own two feet.
Compare that to our Neighbourhood Hubs, libraries and pools which are core council services that are subsidised with a certain level of cost recovery.
Council’s core sport and recreation role is to invest in sportsfields and courts, as well as changing rooms and toilets in large recreational areas.
What about current tenants in the other buildings at Fraser Park?
We are working with current occupants of those buildings to consider options including continuing use of the buildings on an appropriate basis.