The Dunedin City Council yesterday gave its unanimous approval to a site for the new Mosgiel pool.
Councillors at an infrastructure services and networks committee backed the Taieri Communities Facility Trust's proposal the pool be built by the site of the existing pool on Gordon Rd.
The vote will allow the trust to begin fund raising in earnest to get the proposed four-pool facility built by November 2019.
The meeting also heard the trust is looking at the option of stainless steel rather than tiled pools, which it says could save money.
Trust chairwoman Irene Mosley said the decision had given the trust the certainty it needed to take the next step in the process.
``That's great,'' Mrs Mosley said.
``It will allow us to ramp up our fundraising.''
Trust members would meet council staff soon to ``hopefully work together on a strategy that will make it all happen''.
The council has $6million earmarked in the 2018-19 financial year to build the facility if the trust raises $7.5million.
Mrs Mosley said the trust's goal was to have its share of the money raised by the beginning of the 2018 financial year, at the end of June next year.
``The community needs something to work towards as well,'' she said.
Before the vote to approve the site, councillors heard from Mosgiel organisations both for and against the site of the pool.
At a public forum, Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board chairwoman Sarah Nitis asked the committee to approve the site and get a design confirmed so people knew what funds being raised were for.
But Mosgiel Football Club president David Young told councillors his club would suffer from the loss of some of Memorial Park, its home ground since the 1970s.
He said the provision of an artificial turf at the park, and lighting, might help provide playing areas for the about 365 footballers in the club.
A report to the committee said the trust preferred the site as it allowed the existing pool to remain open while a new facility was being built.
Trust member Bill Feather said last night the land the existing pool was on would become a car park for the new pool.
The report said the staff recommendation to councillors to approve the site was based on feedback from public consultation since 2012.
There was a potential loss of football and cricket fields on Memorial Park, but staff were analysing sporting codes' requirements and levels of service.
Mrs Mosley told councillors the trust had considered ``every single site'' in the Mosgiel area.
``The proposed site is not perfect, but we believe it is manageable.''
Of the issues others had with the site, she said: ``It's clear that there's no answer that works for everybody.''
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Comments
I am a regular user of pools in Auckland and I notice that the users are mainly younger people and there are few people doing laps.
So I suggest that more room should be made for toddlers, walkers, talkers, slides, bombing, divers, water aquarobics and other things. Several pools are good.