The $200,000 would be funded from the Tairua-Pauanui Community Board Land Subdivision Reserve fund.
A Tourism Infrastructure Funding for Tairua-Pauanui Public Conveniences report dated November 7, 2023 recommended changing the scope of the project and 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.
Further investigation and design work has now been done with pricing estimates from suppliers, Green said in the report.
“It has become apparent that the current available budget, originally assigned to upgrading the existing toilet, is insufficient.
“Additional funding is now being sought, along with confirmation of toilet sizing options.”
Correspondence between board members and Green at workshop sessions confirmed the community’s preference in the size and location of the proposed public convenience facility to be located at Cory Park, namely a three-pan unit located adjacent to Manaia Rd near the tennis courts and the skatepark currently under construction.
This 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 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 provision of a toilet will respond to this feedback.
“Additionally, it will serve the additional patronage likely to be seen once the skatepark is complete and with the continued growth in use of Cory Park Domain.”
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 are being tabled at the meeting. 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 (TCDC) 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.
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