By CATHY ARONSON
RAGLAN - The Raglan Surf Lifesaving Club wants the council to pay for new clubrooms nearer the beach because the number of swimmers has tripled.
The Waikato District Council paid for development of the Wainui Reserve, a recreational farm park, and improved beach access, but the reserve, with its patrolled swimming area, is 3.5km from the existing clubrooms.
The council earmarked land on the 140ha reserve for a new $600,000 club. But Mayor Angus Macdonald said the council did not expect visitors to increase so quickly and had not allocated any money until next year.
He said the district council would consider making the money available sooner if the club could raise funds as well.
"We accept that the council has put them in this position, but we didn't expect the numbers to increase so quickly."
The mayor said the reserve was an overwhelming success and boosted the local economy.
Visitors to what is Waikato's only patrolled West Coast beach tripled to 3000 a day last summer, and the club had the third-highest rate of saves in the North Island, at 103 - a 348 per cent increase since 1998.
Surf club committee member Dennis Amoore said no one had died yet, but the lifesavers' job had become harder as more families and inexperienced swimmers used the beach.
In the past year, voluntary hours had increased 123 per cent, first-aid care 418 per cent and searches 500 per cent.
"The young lifesavers are really responsible and they try and hang out as long as possible at the beach and feel nervous when they leave. If the club was right on the beach, then members would hang out afterwards and keep one eye on the beach."
Mr Amoore said the club, which has 34 voluntary members, desperately needed to attract more to keep up with the increased visitors, but the inadequate clubrooms made it hard.
He said the club had received donations of $162,000 and had raised $20,000 towards the building.
The new clubrooms will include a first aid room, toilet and showers, drying room, clubrooms, office, dinning area and accommodation.
Mr Amoore said the living quarters were essential for the three to four paid guards during summer and out-of-town volunteers.
The building will also have storage for the lifesaving equipment, which Mr Amoore said was being damaged by having to be carried across the sand dunes every morning and evening.
He said the club could be built in stages if the funding was brought forward a year.
Lifesavers push for new club
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