New Mosgiel pool preferred option

Bill Feather
Bill Feather
A decision about whether to proceed with a longed-for new pool in Mosgiel will be made on Monday.

A working party considering Dunedin's future swimming needs has recommended the council consider providing a new $8.95 million pool facility in Mosgiel before expanding Moana Pool in the central city.

The aquatic facilities working party suggests the council consider building the pool facility in Mosgiel within five years.

The recommended option is a community complex with a 25m x 25m (10-lane) main pool and a 20m x 10m learners pool that would be open all year and have full disabled access.

The pool would be about twice the size of the existing pool and was estimated to cost $8.95 million, excluding land costs.

Colin Weatherall
Colin Weatherall
A new site was preferred because the existing site was too close to the Silver Stream and lacked parking and because building there would leave Mosgiel residents with no pool while the new one was being built.

The council should consider what percentage of the funding it would pay, with the rest to be provided through community fundraising, co-ordinated by a trust established by the council and the Mosgiel Taieri Community Board.

The trust would also raise funds for any wished-for additional facilities, such as a leisure pool and spa pool.

The board would be asked to assist in identifying a site for the pool.

The working party recommended money be tagged for further investigating the project next year, and capital and operational funding be included in the 2015-16 long-term plan.

Its chairman, Cr Colin Weatherall, said it had been decided Mosgiel should be a priority because of capacity constraints and maintenance issues at the existing pool.

Providing additional facilities at Moana Pool in the short term was complicated by work required to address car parking constraints on the site, he said.

The council will consider the recommendations at its meeting on Monday.

Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board chairman Bill Feather said the community board was willing and ready to be involved in co-ordinating fundraising for a project that had been discussed and wanted by the community for some years now.

''We really hope the council sees fit to adopt the recommendation and enable this project to move forward.''

Setting priorities as to ''how much, where and when'' were decisions for the future, he said.

''It's getting the commitment made that we need now.''


Recommendations from the aquatic facilities working party:
Within five years:

• A new 25 x 25m main pool and 20m x 10m learners pool be provided on a new site at Mosgiel, estimated to cost $8.95 million.
• That a trust be set up to raise funds from the Mosgiel community for a portion (yet to be determined) of the cost

Within 10 years:
• Additional pool space is required in central city, preferably at Moana Pool, if parking constraints can be resolved.

Other:
• That money be included on the council's 2014-15 budget to continue investigating the options.


- debbie.porteous@odt.co.nz

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