Prioritising our community facilities
Facilities such as libraries, swimming pools and community centres are the heart of our communities. These should be a priority for Council and under an Andrew Little Mayoralty they will be.
Under this Council, vital facilities that our people rely on have been placed under threat due to misplaced priorities and a Council that has lost touch with the communities it is supposed to serve.
Andrew Little will protect the community facilities currently under threat and make facilities in high-use areas a priority for new investment.
The key commitments are:
Save Khandallah Pool, the Begonia House, Karori Event Centre and Brooklyn Library.
Prioritise the Kilbirnie park master plan and sports hub and a new Tawa Anchor Project, with further projects to be identified following community consultation.
Stronger financial controls including an external capital advisory group to run the ruler over project management and costings
The problem
Wellington City Council has lost the trust of communities through its misplaced priorities.
It has overseen a $150 million blowout on the Town Hall and proposed giving $32 million to an international cinema chain, while at the same time telling communities it cannot afford relatively small amounts of funding to maintain community facilities.
Expenditure has been prioritised on large capital projects that have few financial controls, while inflated rebuild costs are put up for any facilities the council organisation does not want to redevelop or maintain, such as Khandallah Pool or the Begonia House.
Community facilities don’t need to be gold-plated. The Council should listen to communities and come up with sensible, pragmatic solutions that are appropriate for the community.
Yet despite strong community opposition to the closure of Khandallah Pool and local support to finish Karori Events Centre, the Council organisation’s latest advice to elected members is to demolish or sell these facilities.
Andrew Little will change this culture and make community facilities a priority.
When it comes to future investment, the Council’s Te Awe Mapara Community Facilities Plan has no clear timeline or delivery detail attached to it. Leadership is needed to get this work underway.
Funding and cost savings
In the context of the Council’s nearly $4.9 billion capital budget over the next 10 years, the cost of these projects is a drop in the ocean.
What has been missing is making good quality community facilities a priority.
Money will be freed up by applying stronger financial controls and less gold plating of projects.
Policy proposals
Save the community facilities currently under threat from the Council:
Save Khandallah Pool by funding the lower-cost refurbishment option that the community wants.
Save the Begonia House, favouring the lowcost option for renovation to protect this iconic building.
Finish the Karori Event Centre. Commit the additional $1.3m to finish the project, which will be a great venue for arts and culture, and boost the local economy.
Protect Brooklyn Library, which is a local community hub and learning centre.
No cuts to library and swimming pool hours, as was proposed by Council last year for pools in Karori, Tawa and Thorndon and for most suburban libraries.
Prioritise new investment in community facilities in high-use areas, starting with a business case and community consultation on:
Kilbirnie park master plan and sports hub: redeveloping the recreation centre, starting the master plan for the park and upgrading the aquatic centre.
The Tawa Anchor Project: a project pulling together the community centre and library into a new modern community hub.
Consult with the community on the next tranche of projects.
Investigate ways to support community-run facilities that are struggling with maintenance to prevent more closures.
Establish an external capital advisory group. A group of construction, engineering and project management professionals tasked with making sure project costs are realistic, projects are well-managed and cost escalations are signalled early to limit the risk of blowouts. The Mayor and Councillors will approve appointments and have full visibility of reporting.