Lawrence area ratepayers may face a rates hike to help pay for a new community pool.
At a submissions hearing for the Clutha District Council's draft annual plan last night, Tuapeka Aquatic Centre Inc chairman Garry McCorkindale said the group was requesting an extra $250,000 for the project.
However, the group had ''unofficially'' been granted $100,000 from The Trust Charitable Foundation (TTCF) since making its written submission.
Mr McCorkindale said there were other costs to be taken into account and that $250,000 ''would be more than adequate, but I am a cautious person''.
In the council's long-term plan, a grant of up to $1.1 million was allocated to the project - capped at 55% of the total project cost.
It has also granted an interest-free loan of $150,000 as ''bridging finance'' to cover pledged funds.
For the past three years, the Lawrence-Tuapeka community has been working towards building a new aquatic centre, to replace the old pool which is cold and leaks. The ''Splash Out'' centre will be built in the Lawrence Area School's grounds.
The original construction estimate was $1.95 million, but a quote received from Milton-based Calder Stewart Industries comes in at about $2.25 million. The committee met Calder Stewart two weeks ago, and the price was valid until next spring, Mr McCorkindale said.
''We feel that [for] our local community ... the extra couple of hundred thousand is certainly beyond us locally, and our only recourse is to come back to you and ask you to help us out.''
The Lawrence-Tuapeka community had a goal of raising $400,000 locally, and the group was confident this would be met, he said.
The pool project is capped at $2.5 million, a figure which includes landscaping and contingencies.
In a submission supporting the increased council grant, the Lawrence-Tuapeka Community Board said it was ''keenly aware'' of the rating increases facing the township.
Board member Roger Cotton said the swimming pool committee had done a good job of raising almost $1 million outside of council funding.
''We're a community which is very proactive.''
People spoken to by the community board agreed an increase in council funding needed to be sought, even if it meant increasing rates, in order to get the project completed, Mr Cotton said.
