A Pool in a Children's Playground

“Very positive” is how Save Centennial’s Simone Pearson describes a meeting yesterday with CERA CEO Roger Sutton and CCDU Development Manager Greg Wilson.

At Tuesday’s meeting held to discuss the future of the well patronised community facility closed since February 2011, Roger Sutton acknowledged that a pool complex would work well within the currently planned playground.

“We reinforced several key issues including how important the pool is to the wider community, the availability of over $7 million insurance for repairs, and the unanimous support of the CCC councillors to fix Centennial,” says Simone Pearson.

At the meeting Roger Sutton confirmed the cost to repair the facility is around $9 million of which 7.2 million is covered by insurance. Save Centennial’s proposal is for the pool to be repaired as a transitional city project.

“Mr Sutton was appraised by Save Centennial of the benefits to the community of this project including consideration for all of the school children in the East of the city currently without school pools. Others who would gain from the reopening of Centennial include residents from St Albans through to Sumner, returning office workers, construction workers and the guests of the hotels that are reopening in the city centre,” says Pearson.

Save Centennial says it is now up to Roger Sutton and the Rt. Hon Gerry Brownlee to consider the community wishes and repair the pool rather than putting the wrecking ball through a community complex that retains so much residual and potential value.

The group also notes that over $35 million was spent on a temporary rugby stadium built in just 100 days.
“Centennial is a year-round facility used by a huge range of people in the community, and it can be repaired in forty weeks and we are asking CERA, CCC and the Minister to work together to repair it urgently. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever,” says Simone Pearson.

Save Centennial says the repair of the Centennial pool will help address the needs of children, the elderly, the disabled, workers and families, and residents, as well as having an immediate impact of bringing new activity, trade and life back into central city in short order, not years in the future.

Simone Pearson says Roger Sutton undertook to consider the communities interests and needs reflected in the Save Centennial proposal on the future repair of the facility.
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For further comment, please contact Simone Pearson on 027 279 3000
Background info: see ‘fact sheet’ or visit www.savecentennial.org.nz