Swimming pool project half way to target

November 7th, 2016

The Motueka Community swimming pool fundraising team have set up shop as a base for their continuing efforts, as the campaign passes the halfway mark.

The now-vacant pizza shop, between Chokdee and Smoking Barrel, has been made available by the owners Coppins for use until it can be commercially leased out again.

Intended mainly as a central location for storing signs and brochures and selling raffle tickets, the committee's treasurer Sue Clark (pictured in the "shop" with customers) has set it up to also sell goods donated to the swimming pool project.

In its first three days and operating between 11am and 2pm each day, more than $400 was raised from such sales as well as raffle tickets and small cash donations.

It is also provided great opportunities for Sue to discuss the pool project and answer questions from many passersby.

The availability of the shop is another great boost to the fundraising effort, coming at a time when the sum raised edges past the halfway mark of the target for community contributions in the forms of donations and event proceeds.

With a few more events coming up before Christmas, including the largest one so far - the Ambrose golf tournament this coming Sunday - the bank balance is moving well past the $100,000 mark.

"We are aiming for $400,000 from all local sources to enable us to confidently apply to Lotteries for the remainder to create the indoor pool," says the pool committee spokesman Fred Hickling.

"Our goal is for up to half of that to come from naming rights and other sponsors, and at least $200,000 from community and business donations, fundraising events and in-kind services pledged by local construction firms.

"With the golf tournament coming up and recent pledges being made, we expect to have more than $110,000 in the bank by Christmas."

He says the fundraising team have had to work hard, given the reticence expressed by some people with long memories about money wasted on previous efforts to build an indoor pool.

Nearly a decade ago tens of thousands of dollars were raised, much of which was spent irretrievably on a feasibility study before Tasman District Council backed out of the project.

"The feasibility study we need in order to apply for Lotteries funding this time has already been paid for through a separate grant," says Treasurer Sue Clark.

"Every donation we've received this time around that is not anonymous, has been recorded with contact details, so if for some unforeseeable reason the current project failed, all these donations could and would be returned."

The current High School pool last week received the tick for a formal engineering report that was required for funding applications, proving that it is in fine condition for further development.

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