The need for better swimming facilities in Wanaka was a hot topic at this week's public meeting on the town's planned $16.8 million sports complex, but opinion remains divided over whether the existing pool should be upgraded or a new one built.
About 25 people attended a drop-in session at the Lake Wanaka Centre on Thursday night, along with Wanaka Sports Facility Steering Group members and Queenstown Lakes District Council staff.
The session was part of the latest phase of consultation to update information on the needs of potential users and confirm the mix of facilities for the complex, which will be built at the Three Parks/North Three Parks subdivision at the entrance to Wanaka.
The possible inclusion of a new aquatic centre in stage one of the complex is one of the key issues the council has sought further views on, along with the number of indoor courts needed and the priority for developing facilities.
Early childhood teacher Jenny Moss urged the council to construct a new ''multipurpose'' community pool complex at Three Parks catering for all ages and abilities, rather than investing money in improving the existing pool in Plantation Rd - ''anything that would allow more groups of people to swim at the same time'', Mrs Moss said.
It was ''virtually impossible'' for recreational swimmers to find a time to use the existing pool as space was often taken up by learn-to-swim sessions or ''gun swimmers'' training for events.
''I'm all for children learning to swim, but we have to be inclusive. There's a lot of elderly people and people who either work or don't work and need to be able to get to the pool ... What about the ordinary Joe Bloggses like me?''
She rejected the view held by many in the community and others at the drop-in session that the pool should remain close to the town's schools to avoid having to bus children to swimming lessons.
''There are going to be more schools in this town and they are not going to be in that [Plantation Rd] vicinity ... Our town's growing - we need to think beyond the fact that `let's keep it there for the children'.''
Steering group member Jonathan Walmisley said all the town's schools agreed there would be a new school needed soon and it would not be in the same area as the existing ones.
Wanaka resident Eddie Spearing said that fact should have been made clear from the start of consultation so people could factor it in to the pool site discussion.
There was some support at the meeting for co-locating an indoor ice rink with a new pool to share energy costs and capitalise on Wanaka's reputation as New Zealand's snowsports capital.
''The council is well aware that that's a nice comfortable fit from a user perspective as well as from an economic perspective,'' steering group member Bronwyn Coers said.
Other suggestions included establishing the Three Parks facility as a management ''hub'' for all sports facilities across Wanaka, which would also have free outdoor recreational facilities such as basketball hoops, rehabilitation facilities and practitioner consultation rooms, an indoor space exclusively for gym sports, and a cycleway for the schools.
Mr Walmisley said comments from the drop-in session would be collated with the latest feedback from sports clubs and community groups and responses from an online survey, which closed last night.
That information would be considered by the steering group next week and passed on to a council workshop, before going before the full council later this month.
The council will consult with the community on costs and funding options as part of this year's annual plan process, including the possibility that amendments to the Local Government Act could remove development contributions as a source of funding for the facility.
All going to plan, construction would start this year and be completed in 2016, Mr Walmisley said.
