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EA pool extension could be put on hold By Sue Newman
sue.n@theguardian.co.nz
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A big question mark might now hang over the extension of Ashburton’s EA Networks pool complex. With the Ashburton District Council needing almost $30 million more than it anticipated to build the district’s new civic centre and library, councillors last week urged for a spending halt that could put the brakes on pool work planned for the next financial year. In its long-term plan, the council has tagged $5.2 million in 2020/2021 to extend the complex’s learn-to-swim pool area and to create a new splash deck activity area. While that spend was planned, what was not built into the long term-plan was the full cost of the civic centre and library. This was budgeted to cost just $22
million, but when planning started, the numbers crunched and public consultation undertaken, there was strong support to spend more on the project – $51.6 million. That left a funding gap just shy of $30 million. Councillors then amended the longterm plan to take this extra spend into account, but at last week’s finance and business services committee, they questioned whether debt levels might now be too high and suggested the pool development could be put on hold. Money was set aside in the current year – $100,000 – to begin design work on the pool extension, but it was up to councillors whether they wanted to spend this on schedule or to review the timing of that work, business service group manager Paul Brake said. Deputy mayor Neil Brown was keen to see the extension delayed.
With learn-to-swim numbers down over the past month or so, council needed to take a second look at the timing of the pool extension to see whether this was really needed next year, he said. Debt levels were high on Lynette Lovett’s mind. She suggested pushing the extension out a year or two might be needed as a way of meeting the council’s debt. While the pool extension is still locked into the long-term plan for 2020/2021, Brake said he would take a look at whether delaying the work would have much impact on debt levels. The drop in learn to swim numbers was in some part due to the move by a number of parents away from group lessons to private lessons which meant fewer students were able to be accommodated. Demand for lessons, however, continues to be high.
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