Dependent on external funding

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Councillors were updated last week on plans for a $28.5 million redevelopment of the Olympic Pool complex, for which they approved seed funding of $5.65m in the 2018-2028 Long-Term Plan (LTP).

Additional information provided since last month centred around efforts to attract the $23m of further funding required.

The council was seeking Eastland Community Trust commitment as well as approaching other external funders, as “without a high level of certainty of capital funding, it is risky for council to invest significantly in further design work”.

GDC and ECT staff were also discussing the development of a revenue generation strategy for future operation of the complex. External local commercial advice would be sought to assist with this.

And it had been agreed that a charitable trust would be set up to assist with raising the money.

The plan is for an “indoor” phase 1 costing an estimated $21.6m from 2019-2021, and an “outdoor” phase 2 (estimated cost $6.9m) from 2025-26, although “the scope and timing of the project is entirely dependent on the availability of external grant funding”.

Redevelopment plans for the pool complex have been incorporated into the council’s 10-year LTPs since 2006. “Over time the scope for the redevelopment has changed, as has proposed budget” . . . and meanwhile “some major maintenance items have been delayed or deferred”, a business case presented to the council in May last year said. As the necessity to address those items grew, it had been written to consider the case for a refurbishment earlier than set down in the 2015-2025 LTP. That business case proposed $14m-$17m of major renewals and upgrades over three to five years.

The update on the more extensive plan approved in the 2018-2028 LTP said further site assessment would consider trade-offs between building over existing pool assets or on adjacent reserve land. Sport NZ had also led a review of the design concepts that would be presented to councillors in coming months.

“The design for the redevelopment is somewhat flexible and allows components of the overall redevelopment to be added when/if funding becomes available.”