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The end of a three-year project that included a budget blowout and two sets of plans is finally in sight for Bowls Orewa.
The $800,000 scheme will see a roof built over one of the club’s artificial greens, as well as the installation of lights, making the green available for play in all weathers, day and night.
Two giant cranes as well as nine 12 metre containers of Meccano roofing from the Nova Shades factory in Brisbane will move onto the site next week. Work is expected to be complete at the end of this month.
Club president Tony Rickerby has been moving the process forward since he and then president, Peter Clark, came up with the idea three years ago.
Tony says all the work will be worth it, as having an all-weather green is expected to bring more competitions, including televised ones, to the Orewa club. It will also enable people who work during the day to play bowls after hours and make the club more enticing as a venue for corporate events and training programmes all year round.
Tony says there have been ups and downs along the way, and he must have taken a deep breath when the original drawings had to be changed to accommodate Auckland Council’s ‘wind zone’ requirements.
The original budget of $560,000 eventually increased to $800,000, which Tony says was due to having the plans redrawn and consultancy fees as well as the provision of some very expensive lighting.
“The lighting plan had to be signed off by the NZ Transport Agency in Wellington, as Hibiscus Coast Highway on paper is still a State Highway,” Tony says.
Funding came from grants and sponsorship (including yet-to-be-revealed naming rights).
The club has 350 members – including Petanque players and 230 competitive bowlers.
An official opening of the covered green is planned for September when a bar and table seating and naming rights signs have been added.
