Golden Bay Shared Facility – Ideas for Submissions to Draft Annual Plan
Firstly, thank you for taking the time to write a positive submission.
N.B. The feedback forms you recently sent in following the two meetings about the concept plans on 28th February are NOT submissions to the Annual Plan. Everything you wrote will be taken note of. This was an extremely important exercise and thank you. However, it is the actual submissions to the Annual Plan which Councillors will consider when deciding whether or not to put the GB Facility back on track.
These are now open and close 15 April. It will come round quickly, so please don’t put this in the “too hard to handle basket”. The more positive submissions Council receive, the greater the chance of getting this show back on the road.
There will be two Annual Plan meetings in Golden Bay on Monday 31 March.
Collingwood Sunday School Hall, Elizabeth St. 4-5pm. Drop in session
Takaka Fire Station. 7-8.30pm. Presentation
Submitting your submission
You can write your submission on line via the TDC website, or on the form at the back of the Annual Plan edition of Newsline. Forms can also be picked up from TDC Service Centre or from NBS.
As the GB Facility has been pulled from the Draft Annual Plan, it is now more important than ever that you submit to get it back into the final version. The same happened with the Tasman Great Taste Trail last year – it was out of the draft and in for the final version and on page 2 of the summary they are saying how popular it is proving to be. We are far from beaten! Again on page 2 it says “Council has questioned its commitment to funding the GB Recreational Facility in order to borrow less and would like to hear the community’s views on this before it makes a final decision. We would continue design work and preparing the costings this year to assist that decision.” So it is not all doom and gloom – we can, with all of our input make this happen.
Speaking to your submission
It is really important that if you think that you can that you speak to your submission – please don’t be shy. The Councillors are human and we will be there to support you. By speaking you will be able to clarify any points you made, it will help make your submission stick – think of the many hundreds on so many different issues they will be reading, and it will mean you have a face.
The Submission itself
Submissions need to be positive (rather than going on about it being unfair and our turn) and offer alternatives to ways Council can save money. Some of the things you might like to include:
If submitting on behalf of a group say how many members and point out the demographics e.g. 100 members, 40% of who are school children
Say how often you train, host tournaments, host visiting teams and what your current facilities (if any) are like
Success of similar facilities e.g. Moutere Hills and Murchison – the model works! It is now our turn. We have been told from the outset that GB would be the last one – so make it the last one, not the “nearly ran”
Multi Use facilities are currently considered to be the modern survival tool for sport and community facilities across New Zealand
Corner stone of rural sport and well being
We have been paying into the District Facilities Rate for 10 years. The rate was established to fund these “one off” projects with the understanding that each ward would eventually have its own facility and also share the others. GB is the only ward without one and due to our isolation is impractical for us to share others on a regular basis. (Facilities include: Rotoiti Community Hall, Moutere Hills, ASB Aquatic Centre, Grandstand at Sports Park Motueka, Motueka Recreation Centre upgrade, Murchison Centre, Tasman Tennis Centre upgrades and new courts, contribution to Maruia Hall, purchase of 3000 temporary seats for use at various sporting and other events, contributions under an agreed funding formula for ongoing developments at Saxton Field, Theatre Royal and Trafalgar Centre)
Current GB Facilities, such as they are, have a high level of R&M costs – the rugby club building and grandstand has a dubious earthquake rating and needs a $10,000 engineering report done on it. Then possibly following this would require expensive remedial work – makes a lot more sense to put that money into a new multi-purpose recreational facility that a greater proportion of the Community would use
30 user groups with combined membership of over 1500. Also A&P Show, weddings, funerals, conferences etc
Not in competition with existing facilities
Ground work done – concept plans, feasibility study (paid for in good faith by the future user groups) some funding secured (which could expire) – if there is any delay this would be out of date. A waste of money, and energy. There is plenty of momentum at present – capitalise on it.
It will never be cheaper
This is CORE INFRASTRUCTURE – just as important as roads, storm water etc
Benefits eg one site, parents being able to support kids and partake in sport / recreation themselves rather than ferrying kids from one place to another. No showers or toilets at other places. Many clubs don’t have a “home”.
If this doesn’t go ahead the promise has been broken. Initial meeting in August 2010. We were told that there was money in the Long Term Plan for Golden Bay, like there had been for every other Ward. We were told to form a group, get a plan together and come back to Council. We have done this in good faith at considerable personal expense (energy and time as well as money). All the time being told that this was still on track – Newsline issue 294 “Council has worked very hard to keep rates down at this level, but at the same time provide for proposed additional or improved services where possible, for example the proposed Golden Bay Recreation Centre.”
Tasman District Council’s Vision Statement: Thriving Communities enjoying Tasman lifestyle
Tasman District Council’s Mission Statement: To enhance community well-being and quality of life.
Also offer some alternatives to reduce costs in other ways:
Takaka Service Centre. $1M allocated for this
Mapua Wharf Commercial Building (site of former aquarium in Mapua). $1.2M allocated
Reduce some of TDC operating costs e.g. charge a fee if rates are paid by credit card, or just stop rates being paid by credit card. Reduce the catering bill.
Reduce the communication – much doubling up – Newsline, Nelson Mail, Guardian, Leader etc.
Charge for parking across the district.
Thank you once again for taking the time to write a submission. If you need any help, please get in touch with a member of the committee. The most important thing is that you send in your submission. Remember “The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention”
Dean Lund Chair 5256201 (W)
Peter Blasdale Deputy Chair 03 5475588 (H)
Jenny Pomeroy Secretary 5248389 (H)
Fleur Murray Treasurer 5256116 (H)
John Byrne Committee Member 5259867 (H)
Dave Lewis Committee Member 5258770 (H)
Dave Myall Committee Member 027 6697142
Roger Tait Committee Member 5259321 (H)
Arlun Wells Committee Member 5256036 (H)
