Confirmation of the lease request at the park that borders State Highway 1 comes after councillors moved in favour of public consultation on the proposed project at a meeting of the full Waitaki District Council on February 18.
The land, which has a slight downward slope and is planted with trees, is at the southern end of the park and is accessible by an existing driveway.
St John Oamaru area committee chairman Terry Kent hoped the public would back the project, which at times has raised the ire of some Waitaki residents.
If the lease, of a yet-to-be-determined chunk of land that will not be established until design plans have been finalised and the scope organisation’s needs determined, was not given the green light, other sites would have to be looked at as the organisation’s ageing current premises were deemed unsuitable.
The Coquet St building will be sold with the proceeds used to help fund the build, expected to cost between $2million and $3million.
‘‘We have considered other sites and while Awamoa Park has been identified as the most suitable, we would have to consider other options if the land on Awamoa Park is not approved,’’ Mr Kent said.
At last month’s meeting, Cr Jim Hopkins said seeking the public’s views on St John’s plans was ‘‘premature’’, given a lease had not been requested at the time.
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said at the meeting he would prefer St John clarified its plans ‘‘before we go much further’’.
Crs Melanie Tavendale, Hana Halalele, Bill Kingan and Kelli Milmine voted in favour of the recommendation to go out for public consultation, and Crs Ross McRobie, Hopkins, Guy Percival and Colin Wollstein voted against it.
Crs Jeremy Holding and Peter Newton abstained, which meant Mr Kircher’s vote in favour carried the motion.
Mr Kent said consultation would ultimately decide if and when the project would go ahead, pending a council decision on the lease.
‘‘We have no fixed timeframe to complete the project as it will be largely dependent on the outcome of the community consultation period.’’
