The $7.5 million plan to expand the Mount Hot Pools has been unveiled. Tauranga City Aquatics Limited wants to double the size of the Adams Ave complex.
The proposed expansion will include new swimming pools and a wellness centre. Pools will include a therapy pool, fresh water lagoon, toddler pool, aqua play area and a wellness centre.
It is anticipated the redevelopment will increase annual patronage from 210,000 to 275,000.
The complex will increase in size from 3285 square metres to 5445sqm.
Facilities will also include eight single treatment rooms, four double treatment rooms, private pools and steam and sauna rooms.
22 comments
Mount Pools
Posted on 29-11-2010 12:18 | By Lois
Why!Why! Why! What are you upgrading these pools for and WHO are you upgrading these pools for. Why not think of the Tauranga pools and fix some of them up. How are us STROKE patients and hip and knee replacement patients going to get over there. We badly need a WELLNESS CENTRE in Tauranga. Oh PLEASE!!!! Oh and then there are the arthritis patients.
Recession, anyone?
Posted on 29-11-2010 13:08 | By wreck1080
How is this funded? Who assumes the risk? I tire of the council spending recession battered ratepayers cash like it is still boom times. Have they made plans for additional carparks? It is seriously inadequate as it is.
arucrazy
Posted on 29-11-2010 14:14 | By traceybjammet
why on earth would money be wasted on some hot pools. Rotorua is known for its speciality pool which as people get off cruise ships in Tauranga they are shipped on buses straight to people come to the mount for the beach and harbour, there are loads of pools with saunas and spas etc all struggling to survive around the tauranga district, more buses and public transport specially to get to the beach would be money better spent
Mount pools2
Posted on 29-11-2010 14:42 | By CookieB
I agree with Lois. Why? Why? We have enough under utilised, non cost effective hot pools already in our area and a more than adequate number of "wellness centres" around. What is wrong with our natural resources like our great beaches and climate which is what tourists come here for. Also isn't parking a big enough problem without losing more.
Parking?
Posted on 29-11-2010 14:57 | By bob
Where will all these new customers and extra staff park?
Paint it white
Posted on 29-11-2010 15:06 | By bob
and put a trunk on it. 12 Treatment rooms what a joke. How many treatments do they do now? They did a field trip to Hamner Springs and now they think this will work here. We need a petition to stop this nonsense. Dig down build a car park building then put a cultural centre on top and fill it with the stuff that costs $500,000 a year to keep in storage out of sight.
Expensive Upgrade
Posted on 29-11-2010 16:00 | By Jitter
In the submissions to TCC on the 10 year plan there were 966 concerning the Mount Hot Pools upgrade.378 or (39.1%)wanted either the two storey development including heritage centre or the single storey development without cultural heritage centre.486 or 50.3% wanted the minimum upgrade development or refurbishment only. 102 or 10.5% chose other options. TCC cannot dispute these figures as they were supplied by them. In my book 50.3% is a lot more than 39.1% so why has TCC decided on the much more costly option ? If these figures are extrapolted (assuming the number of ratepayers is 50,000)the result is as follows. 39.1% = 19550 50.3% = 25150 10.5% = 5250 This is why on major TCC projects there must be a binding referendum.
Crazy!!!
Posted on 29-11-2010 16:06 | By shirleyrich
This is absolutely ridiculous. 1.Where is the money coming from.2.What about parking? 3.Even more camping sites being eroded!! 4.Who pays for the shortfalls - council? (read ratepayers). 5. What about Baywave surely there is lesson to learn from that. Grrrr
Rob
Posted on 29-11-2010 16:45 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
I am afraid we are spitting in the wind - the fact that the majority of councilors were returned at the recent elections, means that they will now claim that the electorate supports this additional travesty.
Irresponsible
Posted on 29-11-2010 18:26 | By grahamwood
We as a country are struggling to emerge from a financial downturn, Council owes megabucks so a big chunk of our rates goes to paying interest, these same rates are rising many times the rate of inflation and wage increases (mine went up over 10% this year and my wages went up 2%). We have an art gallery that only a tiny minority visit and is heavily subsidised by the large majority who are not interested. The list of rank stupidity goes on and on for this Council. And now they want to spend $7.5 million on another potential white elephant! Maybe it will be like route K and not get the patrionage they expect so we end up subsidising it from rates? How much will this wish list project add to rates for each property owner I wonder?? Its irresponsible at this time.
Got it in one, Rob
Posted on 30-11-2010 11:27 | By RawPrawn
The prime objective of some of our re-elected councillors is simply to get their names on ANY brass plaque they can, regardless of the consequences of this, or any other, piece of rank and mindless stupidity
I am with Why's too
Posted on 30-11-2010 14:11 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
This can only be the biggest waste of money the tga council has done and yet the mayor got back in to council again along with other that should have had the push and I thought money talked NOT at this election it didn't.. Spend spend spend that is all they do
What a waste
Posted on 30-11-2010 14:52 | By Justin
When From the Mount to Te Puke there are normally only 2 police officers in one car after hours and a station that is totally in teh wrong place, why waste $7M on teh hot pools!! The Tauranga station is just as bad and in serious need of upgrade, resources and more police officers as in the next call up there are only 2 allocated for Tauranga for the next year!
come down to earth
Posted on 30-11-2010 15:55 | By purds@xtra.co.nz
what a waste of our money.Any friends that need a contract? How do they reach this figure?
stop encouraging them to do it then
Posted on 01-12-2010 18:13 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
The ONLY way all you moaners can free yourself from stuff like this is to stop voting. When you vote in a democracy like this you are saying that you agree with those in the biggest GANG WIN! You are also saying that you agree with this system - that anybody who has the biggest GANG gets to have their way, and that YOU forfeit your RIGHTS to them. Council should be limited to providing THE ESSENTIALS ONLY. That would reduce the number of bureaucrats and council running costs. Reduce your rates by 75% Leave you with YOUR money to spend on things YOU value. THEN providing you dont continue to insist on telling others what they should spend THEIR money on you SHOULD be happy
MOUNT HOT POOLS REDEVELOPMENT + WELLNESS CENTRE (?)
Posted on 01-12-2010 18:27 | By ROCKY
So this piece of rubbish is back on the agenda? Apparently a General Manager and 2 Consultants have been appointed by TCC to drive this little doozie through. The burning question is; why is TCC intent on despoiling an iconic spot at Mount Maunganui by: - Extending construction of buildings footprint. Increased car parks in place of 24 caravan parks, camp sites and loss of green space and natural environment, increasing area occupied from 3,285 m2 to 5,445 m.2 (nearly doubled) RMA Public Notices were published on 20/11/10 and written submissions in opposition are to be made by 17 December 2010 TO: - Tauranga City Council Private Bag 12022 TAURANGA Fax: 577-7193 Email: planning@tauranga.govt.nz Also see Council Website, TCC - www.tauranga.govt.nz/news As the vast majority of the public are clearly against this crazy scheme - unite and stop it dead in its tracks while we still have a chance to do so. The real cost is now estimated at around $8 million plus and is a farce, being floated simply for a few massage rooms and a redecoration makeover as a result of which locals will suffer both financially and lose out with lack of access to the whole hotpools complex. NOTE: Written submissions are required to be made to Tauranga City Council by Friday, 17 December 2010. DO IT NOW!! Unless you want another Baypark or Mount Greens spend up on your plate. Numbers to count, remember the Library issue?
IT'S A SHUT OUT STU
Posted on 01-12-2010 18:36 | By ROCKY
COUNTING THE NUMBERS ITS 15 so far against this dodgy deal and 00 in support- the poobahs had better watch their butts the apathetics have just found another cause.It won't be pretty
SPENDERMANIA
Posted on 01-12-2010 18:54 | By ROCKY
Purds: Never fear Iam sure the appropriate 'City Mates' outfits will be lining up for this little $m windfall.No good bleating about anything if you voted for these turkeys. By the way why was a new Rangers mansion needed at MAUAO & what did it cost the cash shy TCC to swing this.
GEM 2 FOOLS GOLD
Posted on 01-12-2010 21:25 | By The Master
If you voted for this lot of Councillors then you only have yourself to blame, if you did not vote then you have to look at yourself for the end result. If you look at Baypark it is a MESS that should never have been allowed to happen, even TISEC at another $45 million of debt will only add to the debt and losses for decades to come. All you can do know is lodge a complaint against the project, they wont like it, they will have to listen to what you say but they will carry on anyway. That is de-moc-rocy in Tauranga.
Whats next a High Rollers Casino
Posted on 03-12-2010 08:15 | By Ratcatcher
The rationale behind a luxury exclusive Mount Hotpools is it seems to satisfy the cravings of cruise ship passengers and affluent jaffas, stuff the locals and what they say or want.There is no valid business case to support this financial f---wittery.
TORTURE RATEPAYERS
Posted on 05-12-2010 11:09 | By The Master
If the plan is to build a "wellness centre" for Cruise Ship and Jaffa market then how on earth is that going to pay the wages, costs, debt and interest off ... for the other 340+ days of the year. Cruisers have the best of wellness centres onboard the ships available 24/7 and of course they are fantastic setups and very well run with all the bells and whistles. Why would you want to do that for the day on shore when already available on board. A better idea is to provide sightseeing for them, if there was a buck in that then a private individual would already have done it of course. So what you are left with is another "quality monstrous edifice created by Council” that will only succeed in outdoing the Mt Greens, Baypark and other costly Council creations that only succeed in: making loss larger than could be conceived, debt ridden, rate increasing monuments with bold brass plaques to the cross bearers. Take a look folks, the more they spend the more rates we all pay.
Thanks ..
Posted on 16-12-2010 11:56 | By Murray.Guy
What an excellent range of feedback. Now wouldn't it be great if the community as a whole could be galvanised into taking action! The official rational for this travesty is that the development will secure greater profits for our ratepayer subsidized acquatics network. I have yet to see a council related business case of significant ever become reality (Eg: Baypark, Baywave, Route K) and securing anything other than a positive outcome.
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