The group set up to promote sports in Wakatipu is concerned about the Queenstown Lakes District Council agreeing to act as guarantor for a loan to set up a public gym in the Queenstown Events Centre.
At the full council meeting on Friday, Wakatipu Sports Users Group (WSUG) founders Craig Ferguson, Merve Aoake and Simon Spark questioned the council's May decision to underwrite a $780,000 loan to set up the health and fitness centre.
The centre would be part of its aquatic centre complex.
WSUG had letters from sporting groups and clubs supporting the call to abandon the idea as too expensive "at this time".
Mr Ferguson said communication had been insufficient, with no signals of intention to start a gym.
However, council community services manager Paul Wilson said the gym had been signalled through community consultation before the aquatic centre was built.
He said the space was already built in to the facility.
Lakes Leisure had been paying rent on it since it took over management of the aquatic centre, he said.
When asked about the delay, he said it had been caused by the process of getting the centre's pools and new Lakes Leisure council-owned company running.
In response to concerns raised by the group about the feasibility of running the health and fitness centre, he said Lakes Leisure had provided a full business plan to council and money generated by the fitness area would offset the costs of the pool.
"This is quite common in other parts of the country," he said.
He reiterated the new centre would be priced in line with market rates, but said there could be combined pool and gym membership deals.
In response to concerns raised by the group over provision of a full-sized hockey turf, he said the council had consulted local hockey players about their requirements.
Plans were under way to help fulfill short-term hockey turf needs. Long-term goals would be addressed as the sport grew in Wakatipu and the district, Mr Wilson said.
