Community Facilities given Helping Hand (March)

The drive from several Otago communities to improve their local facilities has been boosted by donations from the Otago Community Trust.

A new outdoor recreation facility at Blueskin Bay is one step closer thanks to a $40,000 donation, the Lake Hawea community centre redevelopment benefitted with a $230,000 donation, and the Owaka Swimming Baths Committee received a very welcome $12,700 to assist with heating and lighting for the community swimming pool.
Overall, a total of $361,000was distributed by the Otago Community Trust across 14 organisations in March, said CEO, Mr Keith Ellwood.

Mr Ellwood acknowledged the value of the co-operative spirit and the considerable work being done within these communities to progress their own projects.

The donation to the Blueskin Youth Committeewill assist with installing a multi-purpose hard surface area at Bland Park for many outdoor activities including tennis and netball. This will not only be a focal point for local youth, but can be used for competitions, and by the Waitati School. The facility will also have a new skate park planned and built with the assistance of many young people from the area.

The project follows extensive consultation on how to provide resources to replace the local youth group building lost to fire several years ago. To reduce the costs, the community spent hundreds of volunteer hours excavating and leveling the land, building the fence framing and setting up the foundations of the skate park.

Youth Centre Association Chair Dr Paul Sirota said the Trust funding was hugely welcome, as it has made the difference in getting the project to completion by allowing them to purchase essential items like fencing, nets and painting lines. “We’ve already had many positive comments. Our youth have really bought into it, and are so pleased to have a multi-purpose area that they can make use of in their own area.”

The Community Trust acknowledged the extraordinary amount of community support and volunteer time given by Waitati people. “Families with children make up more than two thirds of the Waitati community, and we can see this facility will be a great resource well into the future,” Mr Ellwood said.

 

Upper Clutha

The Lake Hawea Community Centre Inc hall is closer to its expansion plans that involve relocating and expanding the library. The existing library space will be converted into a multi-function meeting room and a new community hall will be added on, creating more space to meet the needs of the expanding population.

Lake Hawea Community Centre funding co-ordinator Belinda Rixon-Church said “We were blown away to receive $230,000 towards the project; it’s a sizeable donation and its pushed us that much further towards completion.

“It will mean groups can use it simultaneously, and the spaces can be combined for large events to cater for the entire community, including visiting theatre productions, and for local events including weddings,” Ms Rixon-Church sad.

The population of the Hawea area has grown considerably, from 549 in 1991 to over 2,000 today. There has also been a marked shift to permanent residential homes and an increase in families, increasing the need for adequate community infrastructure. The centreis community owned and operated, the only one of this type of ownership in the Queenstown Lakes Region. 

 

Owaka Pool

The community-owned Owaka Pool is managed and maintained by community volunteers. Owaka Swimming Baths Committee received a very welcome $12,700 to assist with heating and lighting for the community swimming pool. Improvements to the water temperature were  a high priority for the Pool Committee, with the pool currently being heated by two solar panels during the summer season.

Installing a hot water heat pump will increase the temperature of the pool to 28 degrees. Warmer water and installing some lighting will allow the pool to be open longer and be more accessible by all sectors of the community, including the Catlins Area School and the Owaka Playcentre, giving Owaka children better opportunities to learn to swim.