Survey seeks ice skaters

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 483, 27 April 1993, Page 8

Survey seeks ice skaters

Readers throughout the Ruapehu Bulletin distribution area should receive a questionnaire during the coming week asking residents of Waiouru, Waimarino and National Park how often they are likely to use a full-size, all-weather, ice-skating rink in Ohakune. A similar survey was conducted among visitors to the Ruapehu region last year and this indicated very strong support for such a facility during the ski-sea-son. While it is obvious that a full-size 26 x 56m (1456 sq metre) ice -rink such as is planned (see sketches) would be a very

viable and popular asset to the area during the winter months - catering as it will for up to 650 recreational skaters at any one time - the purpose of this week's survey is to assess the amount of use it would get from the 'local' population throughout the year. The proposed site for this ice-rink is next to the Ohakune Club and as it will be totally enclosed and covered it will be able to operate in all weathers for up to 15hours a day. Because of its central location Ohakune' s icerink would also provide a venue for the staging of national competitions

such as ice-hockey and curling championships as well as figure and speed-skating demonstrations, ice-extrava-ganzas etc. It will also have the ability to transform itself within a matter of hours from an ice-rink to an indoor sports stadium with an arena large enough to stage indoorcricket, tennis, soccer, netball, basketball and a multitude of other activities. This week's questionnaires (prepared by Ruapehu College as a contribution to the community) will be distributed with New World and Four Square flyers this weekend in the

Waiouru, Ohakune and Raetihi areas (including rural delivery) and should be found in all letterboxes on Friday or Saturday.

In the National Park/Whakapapa area the questionnaires will be inserted in copies of the Ruapehu Bulletin. For those residents who miss out on a home delivery additional questionnaires are available from the following businesses who are assisting this survey by providing a collection point for both picking up and returning the completed questionnaires: Ohakune: Berry's Bookshop, Ohakune New World, Ruapehu College, School, Ruapehu

Bulletin office. Raetihi: McLean's Bookshop, Ruapehu District Council Service Centre and Post Office, Raetihi Primary School. Waiouru: Shell Service Station, Turner's Bookshop, Community Centre Four Square, Waiouru School. Note: rural residents in the Ohakune, Raetihi and Waiouru areas may

leave the completed questionnaires in their own letterboxes from where they will be collected by rural delivery contractor, Eileen Rush. National Park: BP Service Station, National Park Store, National Park Primary School. Whakapapa: Whakapapa Village Store, RAL/Iwikau Village.