Youth Centre to happen sooner than planned
Monday 11 June 2012
A Youth Centre for Kāpiti looks set to become a reality, eight years earlier than planned.
The project had been earmarked for funding from 2022 but Council last week voted to bring it forward to the 2014/15 financial year. This followed representations from the Youth Council, supported by 350 submissions on the draft Long Term Plan.
Councillors approved $650,000 to buy an existing building and $193,000 to operate the centre from 2014/15. Alternatively, leasing a building would be considered.
A report from Social Wellbeing Manager Cath Edmondson noted a lack of “activities and spaces” for youth in the district. Submitters to the LTP said a dedicated youth centre would provide a safe, youth focused space and meet the needs of the growing population of young people.
To bolster its case, the Youth Council carried out a study which included visiting other youth centres in the lower North Island, working out what a youth centre would provide and how it would operate, looking at possible sites and garnering community support.
Councillors accepted the need for a youth centre and congratulated the Youth Council on its submission. They then considered three options – to leave the funding of the centre to 2022/23, as planned, move it to 2013/14, or to the 2015/16 financial year.
It was eventually agreed to compromise and begin funding the centre from 2014/15 with the option to bring the project forward if external funding is obtained or other facilities become available.