Thames Civic Centre upgrades taking form

The Thames War Memorial Civic Centre is to get rewired in an upgrade that will see fast broadband installed in the Council-owned property.

The Civic Centre currently has no broadband access - something many potential customers expect to have.

We're also planning to refurbish parts of the Civic Centre to create two leasable office spaces.

There is an agreement in principle for the Thames i-SITE and Destination Coromandel to move into the new spaces, says Council's Area Manager for Thames, Greg Hampton.

But it's not quite done and dusted yet.

Costings for the refurbishment have to be finalised - expected next week - and then the Thames Community Board will need to sign off on the arrangement and the funding.

"It's a far better location for the i-SITE in Thames, utilising a public space that is currently under-utilised," says Mr Hampton.

As part of the move, InterCity buses would also stop at the Civic Centre.

Destination Coromandel, the regional tourism operator, works out of Goldfields Shopping Centre and the i-SITE is on the southern end of Pollen Street, where buses currently stop.

"The revamped Civic Centre will provide a great connection between the main street (Pollen) and the shopping centre and reinvigorate that part of town," says Mr Hampton.

Council's Economic Development Programme Manager Ben Dunbar-Smith says the broadband upgrade is expected to cost about $20,000 and once commissioned, would take about a week to be up and running.

It would provide ADSL2/VDSL fast broadband and WiFi capability for visitors.

Mr Dunbar-Smith has also negotiated with Chorus to bring forward their upgrade of Kopu's broadband from June 2016 to April 2015.

Businesses near the Kopu roundabout - which are served by a different telecoms cabinet than the rest of Kopu - will see an upgrade to their broadband by June.

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