Public toilets, picnic areas, a swimming dam, and an upgraded Earnscleugh Hall are among suggestions on how to spend a $62,500 Earnscleugh Amenity Trust fund from L and M Mining.
As a condition of consent, the mining company was required to deposit the money into a Central Otago District Council account for use in the Earnscleugh area.
Earlier this year, L and M Mining activated historic consents to mine more than 110,000 ounces of gold alongside the Fraser River.
The company is weeks from its first extraction of the precious metal.
A public meeting was held at the Earnscleugh Hall last night, at which 14 people discussed how to decide what the money should be spent on, and who should be involved in making such decisions.
It was agreed the Vincent Community Board should contact people from various groups and organisations with interests in Earnscleugh to try and establish a group of representatives.
The group could include people from the Vincent Community Board, Earnscleugh Hall committee, and L and M liaison committee, as well as irrigation companies, fruit and wine growing associations, recreational groups, and any historic or youth-orientated bodies in the area.
It would hear submissions from the community about priorities for the money, and make decisions on spending.
Vincent Community Board chairwoman Clair Higginson was asked to be a liaison between L and M Mining and the group when it was established.
Ms Higginson would ascertain whether L and M Mining was interested in helping the community develop amenities by way of donating time, labour, money or specialised equipment needed for particular projects.
She would also establish whether the company had plans to provide any community facilities through its mining operation, and whether those could be enhanced or maintained by the group.
Other suggestions for the money included tidying existing recreational areas and developing research horticulture or viticulture blocks in the area to advance science in the industries.
It was hoped a group of representatives could form and meet within the next six weeks, and community preferences for the money could be heard before Christmas.
