Wanaka Sports Facilities and Aquatic Centre Information

A number of key reports into the proposed establishment of Wanaka Sports Facilities and an Aquatic Centre are now available for consideration by the community.

“There are some very big decisions ahead for the community, the Wanaka Community Board and the Council and a great deal of work has needed to be undertaken before together we make an informed decision about the future of these major facilities,” Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executive Duncan Field said.

As a result of the efforts of two Upper Clutha community working parties, set up to assess community needs for sporting and recreational facilities the following had been established:

There was a need for a new community sports facility building in Wanaka to serve the needs of the wider ward. Current facilities were already insufficient to meet existing needs, let alone the demand of future growth.

The current Wanaka pool was both reaching the end of its economic life and the community had outgrown the present facilities. Significant maintenance costs for the building and the plant were expected to be encountered within the next five years.

“The Council is recommending to the community of Wanaka, that the community build, as one project, a sports facilities building, community swimming pool, and associated playing fields on one of the three site options,” Mr Field said.

There were some major decisions to be taken and he encouraged the community to give the Council informed feedback by reading the ‘bundle’ of documents released this week and to attend a ‘drop in’ session on 11 February from 3-7pm at the Lake Wanaka Centre.

The issues covered in the reports included: location, facility mix, co-location of facilities, feedback to date from the community and user groups and a Wanaka Camp Ground Report. A transport study was yet to be completed.

“For a large scale project such as this, the Council must seek a community mandate and the process for consulting with the community will need to feed into the Council’s 10-Year-Plan because that must capture the funding for all Council projects,” Mr Field said.

The feedback from the process being run this month would feed into the draft 10-Year-Plan which would then be ‘put out’ for submissions in April.

If the facilities were included, the 10-Year-Plan would be adopted in June and the next step would involve design and consent for the facilities (this will be a publicly notified process).

“The Council is considering recommending that the 10-Year Plan contains expenditure to fund design and consenting in 2009/10 and 2010/11 with completion of both facilities by 2016,” Mr Field said.

The full bundle of reports and documents was now available on the Council website www.qldc.govt.nz at the Wanaka Council office or at Wanaka and Upper Clutha Libraries. A brochure would also be distributed in the Wanaka Sun this week and directly mailed to all out-of-town ratepayers.

Feedback on the proposed projects should be with the Council by 27 February and all feedback will go forward to the 10-Year Plan process as outlined.