TECT has announced its support for the St John Building Project Trust, confirming a $2,034,000 funding grant.
The St John Building Project Trust was formed by the businesses within the ANZ Centre, 247 Cameron Road, to facilitate the re-configuring of the current St John Building in 17th Avenue. The businesses within the 247 Cameron Road building, compromising Cooney Lees Morgan, ANZ, KPMG, Staples Rodway, Rothbury Finance, Key Market Research, Bayleys Real Estate, Aurecon and Elizabeth Café and Larder, formed the Trust with a view to each bringing their set of skills to the table for this project.
St John and the Project Building Trust are extremely grateful for the TECT funding. The Tauranga Station is now the second busiest ambulance station in the Central Region, after Hamilton and the building has reached utmost capacity. The financial backing of the Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust has ensured that the community will continue to be well served by St John who has outgrown its 17th Avenue base.
TECT Chairperson Bill Holland said, “I am delighted that TECT has been able to support such a worthy project. It is great to see so many different people and businesses working collaboratively to assist St John on this project.”
The current population growth of Tauranga is projected to reach 130,000 by 2016 and there is urgent need for St John to continue to provide first class health services to meet this projected growth and to be strategically positioned to do so. Research showed that rather than seek a new site, it would be more cost effective to reconfigure the existing building. Plans for housing operational staff along with garaging transport vehicles and ambulances have now been confirmed thanks to the generous support of TECT.
“The community has an expectation that once an ambulance is called, it arrives in the shortest possible time,” says Jeremy Gooders, District Operations Manager for Bay of Plenty. “Location of resources and the ability of St John to respond within given response times are paramount.”
“The new premises will also house meeting and training facilities for St John Youth groups and public first aid and life skills,” adds Jeremy. “This is will be a first class facility for the community and the contribution from TECT has been absolutely integral to getting the project off the ground.”
St John Building Project Trust Chairman Richard Cashmore suggests that there are not many people in our community who haven’t had to avail themselves of the service of St John and he acknowledges the tremendous contribution that TECT makes to our community. “Without the support of TECT, this project would not have been possible.”
TECT makes grants and donations to non-profit community organisations throughout Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty each year. TECT grants span the education, arts, sport, recreation, environment, energy efficiency, heritage, health and social services areas and almost every one of these areas is likely to have contact with St John.
The building process is likely to be complete late 2016.
