21 June 2012

Media Release For immediate release

New Recommendations Great News For Community

“Delighted!”

That’s how Save Centennial spokesperson Simone Pearson describes the group’s reaction to news that CCC staff will now recommend to councillors, that the central city’s Centennial Pool be repaired.

“We are thrilled council staff understand and appreciate how important it is that access to a public pool on the eastern side of the inner city, be possible, and soon,” she says.

Pearson and her group have been promoting a “no frills fix” for Centennial, which they say will address the immediate community needs of access to a public pool in the area while construction of a new metro facility is underway.

Simone Pearson is appealing to councillors to take heed of what the community is asking for, and encouraging them to vote to support the repair.

“While I recognise there are people suffering with lack of access to housing and basic infrastructure, it doesn’t have to be either or and considering the relatively low cost of $1.8 million to repair Centennial, this will deliver immeasurable benefit to the community.”

The staff recommendations make mention of demolishing Centennial when one phase of a new metro facility is completed.

“There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge until we get to that point, so let’s look at that when the time comes,” she says.

The repair of the Centennial pool will help address the short to medium term need of the wider community including children, the elderly, the disabled, workers and families, residents.

“Without this repair to Centennial, we are likely to have thousands of children who are unable to swim or who swim poorly, to say nothing of the health benefits to the wider community,” she says.

A decision by the city councillors is expected next week.

ENDS

www.savecentennial.org.nz

21 June 2012

Background:

1. Since the February 2011 earthquake there are no public pools on the east of Christchurch

2. Centennial and QE2 used to attract an average of 6,500 visits per day (1000 and 5,500 per day respectively)

3. 50% of school pools have been closed since the earthquakes

4. NZ has the third highest drowning rate in the western world for under 15 year olds

5. Cost to repair Centennial to “as new” standard is estimated at between $1.8m-$2.3m

6. The repair of Centennial is viable and would only be compromised if an anchor project was located on the Centennial site.

There is overwhelming public support to reinstate Centennial.

• Almost 500 people have written to the Christchurch City Council in support of Save Centennial.

• The Press, online poll showed 70% want to see Centennial repaired out of 612 votes

• The Press, online poll, showed that pools and sports fields were identified as council facilities that should be rebuilt most urgently (1584 votes in total)

• The following community leaders, schools and organisations have made statements that are consistent with aims of ‘Save Centennial’: Cera Ceo Roger Sutton, Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Alistair Humphrey, Sport Canterbury Ceo Geoff Barry, Green MP Eugiene Sage, Christchurch East Labour MP Lianne Dalziel, Christchurch East School, Richmond School and Hagley/Ferrymead Community Board.

Land stable around Centennial

The land surrounding Centennial is not a write off due to its proximity to the Avon river and this is supported by the council commissioned engineers report, commercial property developers and visual inspection. The engineers report comments about the land:

• there was “no evidence of lateral spreading towards Avon River to the north of the property”

• “liquefaction was described as “minor”

Furthermore, commercial property owners in the immediate vicinity of the Centennial complex are repairing buildings because they have not suffered significant damage, for example the four storey ‘Charles Luney’ building, less than 20 metres away and located in closer proximity to the river than Centennial, is undergoing repairs before reoccupation in 2012.

Why do you need both the Metro facility and Centennial?

The metro facility is planned to be ready in 3.5 years. But from when? The last earthquake or when it gets the green light, which will be? Given the scale of construction (nine other anchor projects) planned to be built and no prioritisation given to the metro facility we think it could easily be 5 years alone. The repair of the Centennial Pool facility will meet the expected level of service until a Metro facility is fully operational.

Roger Sutton supports the urgent reinstatement of sporting facilities

The importance of prioritising the reinstatement of recreation facilities was identified by Roger Sutton when asked where he would spend the $100 million in the Earthquake Recovery fund, he responded; ‘I think it's important we get some big gutsy community facilities going pretty fast. We've lost a lot of our swimming pools a lot of our sports facilities. Getting some of those things going again because for a lot of people that's very frustrating…’. The cost to repair Centennial represents less than 2% of this fund and would deliver immeasurable benefit to the community.

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