“It wouldn’t hurt to take another look at some of the assumptions in the LTP.” He wanted staff to select projects at random and take a detailed look at the associated calculations.
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Wharenui Swim Club president Chris Averill and club patron Murray McGirr are fighting to keep the pool open. Cr Catherine Chu said councillors relied on information supplied by staff to make decisions and they needed confidence the figures were correct. “I think councillors will start to question other projects too.” She would now question other calculations in the LTP, including those behind the proposed closure of the Riccarton Rd Bus lounge, which was in her Riccarton ward, she said.
Wharenui Swim Club president Chris Averill now hopes the council will scrap its proposal to scrap the pool and instead keep it open. “It means the amount is far more manageable and hopefully the end result will be that the council will let it stay,” he said.
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Murray McGirr, patron of Wharenui Swim Club, left, and club present Chris Averill hope the council will reverse its proposal to close the community pool. “We have always said the true cost of the capital was between $1.5m and $2m. We just worked through it and they had made a simple mistake on one of the spreadsheets, that s where the $5.5 million difference came in.”
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Suzi de Gouveia, principal of St Teresa s School, said the decision was “shortsighted”. The school is 1.1km from the pool, meaning students and staff can attend swimming lessons without transport costs.
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Roof trusses go up at Christchurch s long-awaited Metro Sports Facility. “It’s a great resource. We can walk there and students can have lessons there and become safer in the water,” she said. “We are backing the campaign and encouraging our parents to do so.” She said it may not be possible for them to travel to Parakiore when it opens. “If you have to add transport costs, schools have limited budgets. I don’t know what we will do.”