It would be wrong to say that the hard work is about to begin to turn Kaitaia's old Pak'nSave supermarket into a youth centre, because a great deal of hard work has already been done.
But the process is about to enter a new, much more visible stage. And Andrew Cuckney, who laid the foundations for Foodstuffs' granting of a 50-year-lease in exchange for $2, is keen to get started.
"The first thing we need to do is start on the building, so people know this is not a fantasy," Mr Cuckney said.
The immediate plan (through to Christmas) was to get the carpark "straight" (closing the Commerce Street access and probably instigating a one-way system from Puckey Ave to Taaffe Street), to landscape the surrounds and to decorate the front and side walls (which was in the hands of Shine on Kaitaia).
A financial entity, Kaitaia Youth Centre Ltd, had been formed, Mr Cuckney saying he believed the entire project would perhaps cost $1 million, with a lot of voluntary input.