Whanganui mayor Hamish McDouall says he will meet velodrome supporters to discuss the next step after councillors voted against the roofing option. Photo / File
Whanganui mayor Hamish McDouall says he will meet velodrome supporters to discuss the next step after councillors voted against the roofing option. Photo / File
Those who have been pushing for a roof on the Whanganui velodrome say councillors who voted against funding the project may come to regret the decision.
During last week's long-term plan deliberations, councillors were split six-six when voting on a proposal to roof the velodrome at a cost of $20million ($9m provided by the council and $11m to be sought in external funding), meaning it couldn't pass.
Instead, a proposal to spend $2.5m to support the existing facility was passed.
Whanganui mayor Hamish McDouall said conversations would be held with stakeholders and, in particular the cycling community, about the next steps.
Cycling Whanganui president Ian Murphy said the council vote was "questionable".
Murphy said Cycling Whanganui members had committed to supporting the $20 million roofing proposal which was what the council consulted on as its preferred option in its draft long-term plan.
"The council has reneged on its commitment to the community," Murphy said.
"Weighing the cost of repairing and roofing the velodrome against its budget for housing is a red herring."
Leigh Grant is chairman of the Regional Velodrome Development Trust, which has been pushing to turn the velodrome into a roofed multi-use facility and said the decision meant a loss of any opportunity to seek external funding.
"Supporters of the need to cover the existing Whanganui velodrome cannot understand why the council has chosen to walk away from its preferred long-term plan option," he said.
"Right now we are saddened on behalf of all those who have provided their considerable time and energy, and financial support, to assist the council to find a solution to protect a venue that remains the envy of many other regions."
Regional Velodrome Development Trust members Leigh Grant and Bob Smith hoped their long campaign to roof the velodrome would be realised.
Photo / Bevan Conley
Grant said the trust acknowledged there were other pressing needs and that balancing investment for current and future generations was not easy for councils.
"But taking a backward step by sacrificing an existing asset is not the solution."
McDouall said the high volume of submissions received this year included many views on the velodrome project.
"We received 608 submissions – with most submitters expressing views around the future of the velodrome.
"We have invested time in reading every single one of them. In particular, I have been reading into the tone, the wisdom, and the ideas expressed in these contributions from the community."
Cycling Whanganui president Ian Murphy believes the council has ignored the good advice it has received on the velodrome.
Photo / File
While the council's initial preferred option was to support the $20m cost to roof the velodrome, McDouall said the reality was most of the funding for this would need to come from grants, requiring a significant commitment from supporters and central government.
"We heard from our community that there are concerns about the debt burden on ratepayers and the running costs inherent in a velodrome facility," he said.
"Many feel the money could be better spent elsewhere."
"We are very aware that this will be a disappointing decision for many others. I do recognise the efforts of all those – the Regional Velodrome Development Trust [RVDT], the cycling community and others – who have worked to realise this aspiration for the velodrome over many years.
"I acknowledge that successive councils have failed to resolve the problem, largely because it was so difficult to make a convincing case to Government. As a result, we have all been through two decades of frustration and debate.
"We urgently needed to get to a decision – and it was not ever going to please everyone. Now at last, in 2021, this decision has been made and we can move on as a community."
Councillors who voted for the $20m option were deputy mayor Jenny Duncan and councillors Rob Vinsen, Graham Young, Kate Joblin, Charlie Anderson and Philippa Baker-Hogan.
James Barron, Josh Chandulal Mackay, Alan Taylor, Brent Crossan, Helen Craig and mayor Hamish McDouall voted against the motion.
Councillor Hadleigh Reid abstained from voting and said he was "conflicted" about the decision.
