Media Release
For Immediate Release
Wednesday 30 January 2008

Avondale Community Board Votes for Pool Funding

Last night the Avondale Community Board called for the Avondale pool to be reinstated to the Auckland City Council long term community funding plan. The pool project has recently been deleted from the listed funded projects.

Councillor David Hay, Chair Duncan MacDonald and Deputy Chair Lily Ho abstained, however the vote to reinstate the pool was won.

City Vision board member Catherine Farmer is disappointed that elected representatives abstained from voting on an issue so vital to the Avondale Community.

"Over many years council funded recreational needs assessment reports have identified the critical need for a pool in Avondale. Unfortunately our recently elected Citizens and Ratepayers city councillors have sent a clear message that Avondale people don't matter," she said. "In addition, Avondale is identified as an area of growth. Part of Council's promise to the community which will undergo rapid growth and change as a result of more intensive housing, is to provide a swimming pool and other facilities to cater for the thousands of additional residents in Avondale.

"Cr Hay's assertion at the Community Board meeting that the Avondale pool project has not been deleted from the capital items funded over the next ten years is at attempt to mislead the public leading up to the Avondale byelection. His Citizens and Ratepayers team moved at the December Direction Setting meeting of Council that the item be deleted. It is quite improper for him to now claim this isn't true.

"City Vision councillors will continue to oppose community infrastructure cuts by our current City Council," board member Farmer concluded.

ENDS

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