It said the amount of wear in high stress areas like the main straight sprint lanes was possibly in excess of what could be expected from inspections and evaluations of tracks of a similar type, material, age and usage.
"In some areas, particularly around he high jump fan, the joints between the panels are starting to open."
The consultants said the surface hardened and became less comfortable as it aged. "In this respect the life expectancy of this surface is normally 10 years."
Today's meeting will consider funding half the costs of the replacement track in three years, subject to the the Tauranga Millennium Track Trust raising the rest of the $790,000.
It was proposed that a new type of track be installed at The Domain - the Polyurethane Sandwich Surface System in common use around New Zealand including Whangarei, North Harbour, Hamilton, Wanganui, Wellington, Dunedin and Invercargill.
Consultants said the Sandwich system had a number of advantages including that it was better at avoiding leg strains and other injuries. The life of the track could also be extended by seven years at about half the cost of a full replacement.
Today's meeting will also consider depreciating the track at $6000 a year to avoid a repeat of the situation where the council suddenly faced a a big replacement bill.
It was also proposed that a charging regime be introduced for athletics clubs and key users of the track in order to recover costs.
The Millennium Track Trust built the original track for $1.5m which included a council contribution of $330,000. The asphalt base would be used again for the Sandwich System.
The original decision to not depreciate the track was on the basis that future resurfacing would be funded by the athletics community, led by the trust.
Ms Pope said the trust told the council that it had no money to resurface the track. The proposed depreciation would allow the sprint track to be replaced at seven years and the full track at 14 years.
