A grant of $228,000 from the Community Trust of Southland means the construction of an emergency services centre in Kingston can go ahead.
The grant received by the Kingston Community Association Emergency Services Building Committee boosts the total for the project to $348,000.
"We are extremely grateful to the Community Trust of Southland for their generous support, which will see the plans become a reality. They have shown us a lot of confidence.
"Our gratitude also goes to all the others who had contributed," Emergency Services Building Committee chairman John Jones said.
Help also came from the Queenstown Lakes District Council ($50,000), St John ($25,000), Rural Fire Service ($15,000), Kingston Fire Brigade ($10,000) and from local fundraising ($20,000).
Mr Jones had special thanks for David Giles, who accounted for half the local fundraising by donating $1 from every jar of jam he produced and sold over the years. A few weeks ago, he reached jar number 10,000.
The new Emergency Services Centre will have two parts - an extension to the fire station, with a complete refit of the building, and a new stand-alone, multipurpose building next to the fire station, which will be used mainly by St John and also have room for the community police and health professionals.
The buildings will be owned and maintained by the council and operated by a management committee of the Kingston Community Association, with representation from all user groups.
Mr Jones said building was expected to start before the end of June, under a project manager from the Queenstown Lakes District Council, and should be completed and the buildings operational before the end of the year.
"The Emergency Services Centre is very much needed in Kingston, to serve the needs of the current population and especially to cope with growth of the township," Mr Jones said.
