A concept design showing the preferred public toilet block, estimated to cost $475,000 at Cory Park in Tairua.
A proposal to spend an extra $200,000 upgrading public toilets in Tairua, bringing the cost to $475,000, has received a frosty reception from ratepayers.
Tairua-Pauanui Community Board met on Monday to consider a request for $200,000 from a land subdivision fund to supplement funding for the Cory Public Convenience project.
It unanimously voted for further investigation of funding after indications the community was not happy.
Board chairman Warwick Brooks said he did not accept the proposal and suggested it was “out of hand”.
Speaking to the Hauraki Coromandel Post after the meeting, Brooks said the matter had attracted much comment among Tairua and Pauanui ratepayers.
“The projected cost is totally unacceptable; the board decided to defer any expenditure until all options undergo further investigation and consultation.”
During the meeting, board members heard the new $475,000 figure was “ridiculous”.
The cost of upgrading the toilets skyrocketed by $200,000 after a November 2023 Tourism Infrastructure Funding report for Tairua-Pauanui Public Conveniences recommended changing the scope of the project. It suggested using a Tourism Infrastructure Funding grant of $155,000 combined with Annual Plan funding of $120,000 to construct a single larger facility at the tennis court end of Cory Park Domain.
It had become apparent the budget was insufficient and additional funding was being sought, along with confirmation of toilet sizing options.
Deputy board chairman Chris New said he was struggling with the new costing.
“It is a little bit excessive; I’m not in favour.”
Brooks told the meeting ratepayers had made it clear they were not happy with the proposal.
Board member Barry Roberts agreed, saying it was a “huge amount of money” for three pans.
“We can’t justify it to our ratepayers.”
The meeting was told the existing toilet block, a single pan, would be decommissioned and there was an obligation to provide “like-for-like” facilities.
A renovation had not been priced up, but there were comparable projects such as the $225,000 spent on a single-pan toilet further north in the Coromandel.
Building a more robust toilet would protect the asset from ongoing costs, such as vandalism and maintenance.
Again, Brooks said the proposal did not sit well with ratepayers.
“We need to revisit the whole thing.”
Hauraki Coromandel Post has contacted the Thames-Coromandel District Council for comment.
After the meeting, Thames Coromandel district councillor and Tairua-Pāuanui Community Board member Gary Gotlieb said there was a “bit of passion” surrounding the proposal.
“The problem with toilets is they have a limited life and require maintenance; the figures did not seem to be outlandish.
“They have to be substantially built; it is not like the dunny in your home.”
He said Thames-Coromandel District Council would now undertake further investigations.
Correspondence between board members and the council at earlier workshop sessions showed the community’s preference was for a three-pan public convenience facility at Cory Park, adjacent to Manaia Rd near the tennis courts and the nearly-completed skatepark.
The proposed scope for the unit aligned with obligations under the Tourism Infrastructure Funding agreement to provide a facility with a “like-for-like” level of service equivalent to the existing public convenience facility, located near the Tairua Rugby and Sports Club facilities at the southern end of the reserve.
Supporting the preferred size and location, as part of the consultation processes for the skatepark location, board members and council staff had heard that some of the communities were concerned at the lack of toilets on Cory Park Domain, and that there were issues with some users of the park, particularly of the tennis and cricket facilities, urinating into the open drain running along the north-eastern end of the reserve.
The board has an unconfirmed subdivision reserve fund of $404,472 and the council could use all or part of it, subject to the funds being available following an audit.
Two options have been already tabled. The preferred option was to increase the budget by $200,000 to construct a three-pan unisex toilet, as it meets ‘like for like’ service level requirements under the funding agreement, and long-term service level requirements of the community, while addressing community feedback.
There would be a rating impact of $6847 annually or $1.68 per ratepayer.
Option two would utilise the available budget of $275,000 to construct a single-pan unisex toilet facility, but it would not meet ‘like for like’ service level requirements under the funding agreement, and not meet the long-term service level requirements of the community.
Thames Coromandel District Council was approved for $2,206,132 in funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund in September 2023 towards tourist hotspot toilets and pathways.
Funding was dependent on project consents being granted.
The Tourism Infrastructure Fund was set up to ease the burden on local communities in need of assistance and/or facing pressure from tourism growth and is focused on investing in projects repairing infrastructure impacted by recent extreme weather events and improving future resilience.
It was designed specifically for areas with high visitor numbers but small ratepayer bases like in Coromandel.