Increased Funding for the Renwick Sports & Events Centre

Application for Funds:

Annual grounds increase

To accommodate the increased demands for grounds maintenance and ensure the upkeep of the upgraded facilities, an adjustment in annual grounds maintenance funding is imperative. Here's a breakdown of the necessary increases:

1. Mowing Costs Increase:

   - With a 31% increase in mowing costs, which now amounts to our total current grounds grant from the council of $66,000, the annual grounds maintenance budget needs to be adjusted accordingly. This increase is crucial to maintain the aesthetics and safety of the sports fields and surrounding areas.

2. Waste Removal:

   - The rise in freedom campers and increased usage of the facilities leads to a higher volume of waste to be removed regularly. Additional funds are required to cover the expenses associated with waste collection and disposal.

3. Village Green and Skatepark Maintenance:

   - As the usage of the village green and skatepark increases, there is a need for more frequent maintenance to ensure cleanliness and safety. This includes addressing issues such as rubbish removal, graffiti, and general upkeep.

4. Rotational Grounds Improvements:

   - Neglected grounds require ongoing improvements to bring them up to standard. Rotational maintenance for each sports code is essential to prevent further deterioration and ensure that all facilities are in optimal condition for use.

5. Tree Trimming:

   - Annual tree trimming is necessary to maintain the health and appearance of the trees on the premises. Neglected trees pose safety hazards and can detract from the overall attractiveness of the area.

Based on these factors, I recommend increasing the annual grounds maintenance funding from $66,000 to a new budget of $100,000. This adjustment will enable comprehensive upkeep of the upgraded sports facilities and surrounding areas, ensuring a safe, clean, and enjoyable environment for all users. We are also seeking an ongoing adjustment to our grounds maintenance grant to be in line with CPI and therefore inflation as the last time our grant was adjusted was 2018, seven years ago. Since then inflation has increased dramatically and hence, we have been struggling to keep our grounds in good condition with the very limited budget that we have.

Annual Wages Increase

The Renwick Sports & Events Centre has historically run with a singular paid employee which has made it a hard position to maintain due to the on call and working 7 days a week nature of the job. This has led to the Centre employing a second manager to assist with the day to day running of the centre and events. This also allows the centre to run efficiently whilst also allowing its employees leave and sick cover.

In the past we have received an annual grant of $30,000 from the Council to help with the wage cost of the managers. As we are now running with two employees on an increased wage and increased hours required due to the high traffic we now have through the Centre and the grounds. Therefore, we propose that this be raised to $60,000 per annum and to be reviewed annually to be adjusted in with CPI and inflation.

This is because we have been receiving the same funding amount of $30,000 since 2013 where the minimum wages has increased from $14.25 and is now $23.15, a 62% increase. We aim to pay our managers well to compensate for the lack of work/life balance that this job offers.

Centre Use

Over the last year BDO Renwick Sports Centre participation numbers have continued to increase with usage of the centre, reporting an overwhelming average of 19.88 hours of usage per week in the year to August 2024, totalling 1033.5 hours for the year. These hours are limited to the building only and do not include any sports training or game days due to the ease of tracking.

Background

The BDO Renwick Sports & Events Centre is a community owned building that opened in November 2009, situated at the council owned recreation grounds at Uxbridge Street in Renwick. Our mission statement is “to be a leading venue for sport, recreation, social events and conferences by providing excellent facilities, services, programmes and support to enhance the experience of the sports codes and wider community”. The building and grounds itself has not had anything done to it since this date and has since lost it’s functionality due to the change in its usage over 15 years ago. As a not-for-profit organization, we require additional support to improve our building and grounds to make it suitable for the community users groups. We currently have many users such as conferences, seminars, weddings and fundraising events, fitness classes, youth sports groups and charity groups such as the Graham Dingle Foundation. We also host the Marlborough Wine & Food festival which brings over 7500 people through our facility per year. Hosting this event also takes a large toll on our staffing resources, building and grounds condition. Since opening, the Centre is used extensively by our member clubs including rugby, football, cricket, tennis, bowls and marching. We have been firmly established as one of five Marlborough Community Hubs. Healthy relationships have been built with the Sports Tasman coordinator to find ways to encourage the community’s awareness and use of the facilities.

Centre Manager

The Centre Manager is responsible for running the Centre on a day-to-day basis as a business. Since the opening of the Centre in 2009 the Renwick Sports Centre Board has been the employer of the Centre Manger. The Centre manager now also reports to Regan Russell within the Marlborough Hubs in the aim to keep Renwick Sports Centre in an upwards growth trend. With increasing booking and responsibilities, the Renwick Sports Centre Board subsequently employed a Functions Manager.

Functions Manager

The Function Manager co-ordinates and runs all of our community events and programmes which in 2024 included Tumble Tots, the Marlborough Wedding Fair and our first Christmas Market and Santas Grotto. Without the additional capacity that having our functions manager allows, the Renwick Sports Centre would not be able to continue on its ventures of bringing in more community programmes and involvement.

Council Role

The Council is the owner of the sports grounds that are leased by the Renwick Sports Centre. It is responsible for the public toilets on the side of the building, the carpark, the skatepark and the pump track.

The building and maintenance and improvements of the grounds are all managed by the Renwick Sports Centre which is fostered by the Council.

The Renwick Sports Centre graciously thanks the Marlborough District Council for their tremendous support in funding our lift repair as well as their ongoing support of the boards endeavours to create a premium rural multi-sports facility.

Operational Report

The Centre has seen a large increase in support from the Community due to new management and despite closure during Covid has recovered to beyond pre-Covid levels.

The Renwick Sports Centre engages with the community in two different ways:

• Activities - run by the Centre itself to encourage community involvement.
• Events – run by various groups and individuals. These activities use the Centre services.

The activities at the Centre fall into three main categories:

1. Club:

We have 6 clubs that use the Centre facilities and grounds. These members pay an affiliation fee in exchange for discounted rental and use of the grounds and facilities.

These clubs are:

• Renwick Rugby Club
• Renwick Cricket Club
• Renwick Tennis Club
• Renwick Football Club
• Renwick Marching Club
• Renwick Bowls Club

2. Community

These are not for profit organisations that receive discounted hireage of the building and grounds in which the Centre subsidises the fees as a goodwill donation due to the Centre being a community building.

• • Crusaders Under 20’s
  • Oranga Tamariki
  • Rifitimi Church Group
  • Pasifika 7’s tournament
  • Renwick School
  • Tumble Tots
  • Yoga and Fitness Classes
  • Defensive Driving Course
  • Council meetings
  • Wine & Food Festival
  • Christmas Market
  • Santas Grotto