Cass Square playground upgrade | Westland District Council

Cass Square Playground

Key Projects

Cass Square playground is a community facility that provides recreation and play opportunities for families in Hokitika.

Concerns were raised by the community regarding the standard of the play equipment and improvements were requested. An audit of the playground and equipment found that there were improvements to be made. During the Long Term Plan process in 2021 Council allocated $628,000 over the next 10 years for playground equipment and rubber matting upgrades, as well as ongoing maintenance.

Timeline

April 2020	Cass Square playground was audited by an external consultant, standards of failure and required improvements were identified.
June 2021	Council allocated funding in the LTP to start work on improvements to the playground.
Sept 2021	Staff appointed The Playground Center to provide initial designs.
April 2022	Council agreed to investigate applying for additional Lotteries Funding and put the project on hold while the funding is secured.
September 2022	Application submitted to Lottery Grants Board.
November 2022	Annual Playsafe Playground inspection found 4 low risk issues, 31 low/medium risk issues, 14 medium risk issues and 4 high risk issues. High risk issues come with a recommendation for closure or immediate rectification.
December 2022	Lotteries Grant approved.
January 2023	Working group, including community members appointed.

Next Steps

Council budgeted $521,460 in the 2021/2022 year for the renewal and upgrade of the Playground and surfaces at Cass Square. In the draft Annual Plan Council proposed carrying the budget into the 2022/2023 financial year.

By seeking additional funding the community will get the benefit of a larger facility without further community funding requirement.

A draft design has been completed and further discussions are ongoing with the community. The working group is considering the best options for the playground and preferred equipment, and researching sources of additional external funding.

Playground equipment currently has approximately 5 month lead time from order to availability.

Lotteries Application

Applied for lotteries funding on 7 September 2022, with a concept plan. Lotteries agreed to match WDC contribution of $510,000.

Cass Square original concept drawing - November 2022

Agendas and Minutes

Livestream recordings of previous meetings can be viewed on our Youtube channel.