A decision on when the new Wanaka swimming pools will be built and how much money is available for the development is expected to be made by Queenstown Lakes District councillors next week.
The council's planning and development general manager, Marc Bretherton, said a preliminary design completed last week would be presented to councillors on Tuesday.
It included an eight-lane lap pool, a 20m-long and 10m-wide learn-to-swim pool and a spa pool, all in the same complex.
The cost of the development had been estimated and was in line with the budget of $11.8million signalled by councillors last year.
While the cost would have increased by the time the complex was built, this escalation had been factored into the council's long-term plan budget, Mr Bretherton said.
Mayor Vanessa van Uden has said previously the new pools would only be possible if grants from funding organisations other than the council were secured and community fundraising targets met.
Among the potential community funding avenues was the sale of some of the council's Wanaka assets, but any decisions were yet to be made, Mr Bretherton said.
To help the councillors decide when the year-long construction of the pools should begin, they would be given cost estimates for building during the 2015-16 year and the following years.
Their decision would take into consideration the savings to be gained by building sooner, alongside the fact a rates increase for Wanaka ward ratepayers would be triggered when the project commenced.
''But my analysis of the results of the special consultative procedure last year and the long-term plan consultation is that the Wanaka community seems to be overwhelmingly in support of the pools being built sooner rather than later and accepting of an increase in Wanaka rates,'' Mr Bretherton said.
- Jessica Maddock
