At Wednesday’s meeting, the Dunedin City Council will consider a funding request from Dunedin Gymnastic Academy as part of deliberations on the 2026-27 annual plan.
The academy has requested $100,000 per annum for the coming 10 to 15 years to help purchase and develop a fit-for-purpose gym sports facility.
At an annual plan hearing earlier this month, academy president Michael Eathorne-Gould and facility project lead Marion Maxwell told councillors there might be an opportunity to purchase a suitable building in the coming weeks.
‘‘The building has enough space for now and the future of gymnastics in Dunedin,’’ Ms Maxwell said.
‘‘There is a possibility that it could be shared with other similar organisations. It could be the regional hub that Gymnastics New Zealand require.’’
The building was on leasehold land — the academy expected to pay $130,000 per year in ground lease, in addition to $2 million to purchase the building.
It had great location and space, but upgrades could cost up to $400,000 in the coming three years, Ms Maxwell said.
The academy had an $800,000 deposit, envisaged a $1.2m bank loan and hoped to receive corporate sponsors and grants.
The council funding would address a ‘‘guesstimated’’ shortfall of $100,000 a year for 10 to 15 years while the loan was repaid.
Mr Eathorne-Gould said the academy had been ‘‘through the ringer’’ several times in the past 12 years, initially looking to build a facility before deciding to purchase and develop.
‘‘It seems to us much more feasible to purchase an existing building and renovate it than to build a new building.
‘‘We’ve carried on looking and this new one — hopefully we will have a positive answer at the end of May, but there’s no guarantee of that.’’
If the opportunity to purchase the suitable building fell through, the academy had no other options, he said.
The academy had more than 600 active members, employed more than 30 part-time and fulltime staff and upwards of 3000 children attended holiday programmes and classes each year, Ms Maxwell said.
A report to Wednesday’s meeting said the funding was not budgeted for in the draft 2026-27 budget.
Councillors will also consider an unbudgeted request from the Waikouaiti Coast Community Board, seeking an unspecified increase to its oversubscribed discretionary fund.
Funding of $50,000 for the Dunedin Tracks Network Trust has been for budgeted in the annual plan, as agreed by councillors during adoption of the long-term plan last year.
