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Stage One of the new clubrooms should be completed within weeks.
The new Rodney Rams clubrooms are rising from the ashes in Whangateau, with the first stage of the rebuild well underway and a temporary bar and kitchen set for summer trading.
If all goes to plan, the shell of the new building should be finished and weatherproof by the end of the month, according to club secretary Denise Crimp.
With the new tennis, netball and basketball courts already open, a completely renovated toilet block and now the Rams’ rebuild, the Whangateau Reserve sports ground is undergoing a new lease of life.
“It’s a lot busier already,” Denise says.
The club has constructed a temporary lean-to bar – already open on Thursday and Friday evenings – and put a kitchen in a shipping container, which it hopes will be signed off for commercial use within a couple of weeks. Once that happens, the Rams will begin serving fish and chips and other takeaways, something it used to be known for before its previous headquarters were destroyed by fire in May last year.
The 2015/16 Touch Module has just started on Friday evenings and will be running until December 18, and then again from January 15 until March 25, plus the annual Touch Tournament on January 30 (Anniversary Weekend).
Denise says it is good to have somewhere club members and players can meet and socialise again, especially now the new clubroom walls are going up.
“With something there that people can see, it will make people aware that it’s happening and make fundraising to complete the building easier,” she says. “It’s better to have at least something up, rather than wait until we’ve raised all the money needed before starting anything.”
Funds for the $180,000 first stage build have come from insurance and local fundraising. The club is looking for ways to come up with the rest of the money needed to fit out and equip the new club premises, including applying for a range of grants.
