It is unfortunate that the chairman of Te Hiku Community Board, Dennis Bowman, did not get his facts right regarding the (possible) new pool proposal for Kaitaia.
The town pool is indeed very old, and we will be very lucky to get four or five more years' useout of it. The district council was very clear in the LCP that no "substantial" amount of money would be invested in the current pool because it was just not worth it. The cost of repairs and maintenance alone are becoming hard to justify, and an alternative must be found.
Now one of those alternatives is to have no pool at all, and without the support of our own community board that could be a real possibility. The LCP has stated that there is a renewal fund of $880,000 available for the Kaitaia pool, but the rest of the money needed for building a new pool will come from outside funders.
The A&P; Association has not given any indication that they are willing to have any changes made to their land, and it was not our suggestion to move the pool there. The current site has higher ground available, and it could be built up to safeguard the new pool from flooding. But all of that needs to be investigated and solutions found, as well as planning and designing, and most importantly, fundraising.
We need solid support from our council representatives and our community to make this happen, and Mr Bowman's comments are not helpful.
