Clock is running on pool

Supporters of the proposed Hamilton hydrotherapy pool say the current recession could reduce its cost, but have told the Hamilton City Council the trust pushing for it may dip out on other funding if construction is delayed any further.

The latest episode in the long-running hydrotherapy pool saga which dates back to the early 1980s was played out at yesterday's Hamilton City Council long term council community plan hearing, with the Hamilton Hydrotherapy Charitable Trust's Laurie Pilling urging the council to meet the $380,000 funding shortfall to get the pool under way.

Mr Pilling, who spoke alongside Cambridge GP Dr Alison Glover, said the pool was "desperately needed", but needed "council approval to make it happen".

In a written submission which Mr Pilling read from, trust chairman David Peart noted the estimated project cost was $2,206,750, with plans and specifications complete to tender stage.

The submission suggested that with the "paucity of work" for construction companies due to the economic conditions, "the project could cost 10-20 percent below the initial quote".

The trust has now raised $800,000 toward construction of the pool, but Mr Pilling warned the availability of more than $500,000 in funding from several trusts and groups expired later this year, increasing the urgency of construction.

The city council has already pledged more than $700,000 toward the pool, an estimated third of the construction cost. Supporters claimed up to 10 percent of the city's population would use the pool.

- © Fairfax NZ News