Gore District Council has begun demolition of the Mataura pool as it embarks on stage two of its redevelopment of Tulloch Park.
It is expected to take three to four weeks to demolish the 68-year-old pool building. The west wall will come down first, allowing contractors access to gut the inside of the building before taking down the remaining walls and filling the pool base with compacted gravel, Council said in a statement.
Debris from the site will be taken to the Council’s consented clean fill site near the Mataura transfer station.
Council Parks and Recreation Manager, Keith McRobie said once demolition and site clearance were finished, the plan was to install a new Exceloo toilet/change room/utility block plus a caravan waste disposal unit.
“We hope to have these in by early March, depending on the supply out of Auckland.”
Stage 2 has a budget of $1.1 million, with all but $70,000 coming from external funding sources, Mr McRobie confirmed.
“We’ve been extremely fortunate with the support this project has received from outside agencies,” he said.
The funders are:
- Better off Funding scheme: $500,000
- Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF): $200,000
- Lotteries Community Facilities Fund: $300,000
The Mataura pool was closed in April 2017 after years of falling patronage. The decision to demolish it came on the back of significant structural and operational issues, Council said. Demolition costs are approximately $150,000.