Submissions closed last week and followed a doublepage spread in The Courier, in which readers were invited to fill in a form and let their views be known.
‘‘And that they sure did,'' council district services manager and aquatic centre project manager Ashley Harper said.
More than 300 responses were received.
But it was the lengths some people went to in explaining their views and offering suggestions that caught Mr Harper off guard.
‘‘I didn't expect the pages and pages attached to the response form that some people sent in.
‘‘One came in with four A4 pages attached.''
Many forms were returned by submitters with their views amplified on several attached sheets, he said.
The council saw the healthy response as great for the overall project.
‘‘There does not appear to be any apathy out there and the number of responses was to be expected on a project that would have such a farreaching effect on the community.
‘‘We are absolutely delighted.''
Concept plans for the Maori Park aquatic centre were published last month. The estimated price tag was $20 million to $25 million.
Asked whether the council intended to survey the public again and provide another opportunity for feedback during the design process, Mr Harper said the public would be consulted again ‘‘on financials, as opposed to design issues''.
‘‘There is obviously a link between design and cost and we need to bear in mind this was a concept plan, not a final plan. The final design will reflect new costings and we will want to be sure the public is happy with any new figure,'' he said.
‘‘At the appropriate time, we will ask for their views.''
He assured those who responded to the survey that they had not wasted their time.
‘‘Once we have sifted through the various responses, a view would be taken on whether design changes needed to be made. It will take us well into next week to reach that stage.''
Would the responses be referred back to the consultants for their input?
‘‘Absolutely,'' Mr Harper said.
‘‘The consultants will analyse the public's views and make changes where they are considered important.''
He said the actual responses would not be available for public scrutiny because of privacy considerations - ‘‘but we will be making a summary available for public consumption''.
Some of the issues raised by survey respondents so far have related to the lack of a diving well, lazy river or wave pool in the concept plans, concerns about the building shading the outdoor pool, and queries about the depths of the pools within the complex.
Mayor Janie Annear said the release of the concept plans heralded an exciting new phase in the development of the district's lifestyle infrastructure.
The council was excited by the initial concept, she said.
‘‘We would like our community with us on this exciting journey as the end result is going to be a very special facility for our whole region.''
