By Belinda Carter The Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community board has granted the Edgeware Pool project $41,000 from the Better Off fund to cover some final costs before building commences. And if all goes as planned the pool construction could begin later this year.
The Better-Off fund is money given by the Crown to city councils for use in the community. Many community organisations have benefited from the distribution of these funds to date.
“This funding now allows the Edgeware Pool Project to move to the stage of lodging consent and engaging a contractor”, the St Albans Pavilion and Pool chair Lynne O’Keefe, told St Albans News after the board meeting on March 14.
The Edgeware Pool was demolished 2006, against the wishes of the St Albans community, which has campaigned ever since to get it rebuilt.
“We are now looking at a construction start date of October 2024 which is incredibly exciting. We are grateful for the continued support of the Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central board and their commitment to our communities.”
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However there was some opposition to the Edgeware Pool’s Better Off grant by board members Ali Jones (an Innes ward board member) and Victoria Henstock (a Papanui councillor) complaining about a lack of detailed information available to the board. When the motion was put it was carried 7 – 2 .
It’s a win for outdoor swimming pools in suburban areas, Lynne said. At the same meeting a separate motion to grant the Shirley Intermediate School and Community Pool Project $60,000 to reopen the closed facility did not face the same “fiscal scrutiny” and was passed easily and unanimously. The 56 year old pool had closed in 2022 with the loss of Ministry of Education funding.