Motueka Community Board candidates comments

Sue from Motueka

Here are the last of the candidate responses - this time for the Motueka Community Board. Trindi and Brent are applying if they are not selected onto the TDC and their comments have been previously listed.
Question:
“Do you support the Motueka Community Swimming Pool and how will you work to get TDC funding to assist with Building and Operating Costs along with longer term management of the facility.”



Charmaine Petereit

Thanks for getting in touch and apologies for my slow reply, it’s been a busy week. In principle I support the Motueka Community Swimming Pool, I’ve had a look at the web site and the feasibility study.

How I would work to get TDC funding to assist with building and operating costs and longer term management of the facility would begin with learning more about the project and the barriers perceived or otherwise from TDC ‘s perspective. Once I had a better understanding of the project I would work to build a business case because at the moment you have a feasibility study, which is not a business case. I would need to sit down with TDC to find out what their criteria would be to assist with funding ongoing operating cost and long term management, exploring options that would inform a project plan which TDC would be happy to sign off on.



Jon Taylor

I think it is a great idea to pull resources and achieve a pool for our community. With a population of around 10,000 people I believe it is a worth while community project that should have endorsement from council.

Your letter outlines the path that needs to be taken to achieve this and remember that it will be a project that will reflect through all generations from the young at school learning to swim to the older growing population that will use this for keeping well. It all just makes sense and has been well thought out. This is a simple no frills project that simply wants to give our community what they want and most of all need. It does not hinge on big ideas that in turn create large costs to run, so like a library it should not be pigeonholed into creating a return on investment but should be looked at in a wider picture of what a facility can return to our community. The beauty of a project like this is once we have achieved it, we all get to stand back and congratulate each other on a job well done this is priceless and puts us all in good steed to achieve the next project on the list for our community.



David Armstrong

Policy 8. MOTUEKA COVERED SWIMMING POOL

I spent over two years recently helping the swimming pool fundraising committee to start and develop its campaign, so I can declare a special interest in this project though I'm no longer a regular part of that team.

I believe that an affordable, year-round covered pool will add considerable value to most residents for a variety of reasons, and I sincerely hope the fundraising campaign achieves its goals as soon as possible.

I am aware that, having raised approaching a quarter million dollars so far (and still going), the team needs some help and support in going the next step to raise significant matching funds from the big agencies. The team say a big change to achieve that is to get some sort of support from TDC.

Although the community board has no budget to provide any significant amount of money, and TDC does not have this project on its long term plan, there may still be ways which I am told are currently under investigation, to provide local government support to achieve that big next step.

Therefore, if and where possible within the powers of the Board and Council, I want to help get the covered swimming pool project fully over the line during this term of the Board.