2018-2024
The Elsie Stewart Community Library and Pool project is designed to offer a wide range of services all year round for the Milton and wider Clutha District communities, from swimming lessons and competitions through to digital help, library programmes and celebrating local history. It will be a central point for connection, knowledge, health, and leisure.
This facility is intergenerational, to meet the community needs now, and into the future, for the next 50 years.
Background
Discussion about establishing a purpose-built facility to cater for Milton and the Bruce ward’s growing needs was first formalised in the 2018-2022 Our Place Milton Community Plan.
For the duration of this project, the Council has been working with the Bruce Community Facilities Trust and Committee and Calder Stewart to drive it forward, with the Trust leading the community consultation in 2022.
After gaining significant community feedback, it was decided to pursue an option that put the community’s aspirations all under one roof: to build a new pool and a new service centre/library facility, then known as the Bruce Community Facility.
However, as the project developed, the scope and scale changed along with the total budget. As promised when Council first consulted on the facility, if there was a significant change to any of the key components, there would be further discussion with the community.
Further consultation took place in September 2024, with people asked whether they wanted to contribute to a community library and pool facility with six swimming lanes, which would cost $19.4 million, or stop the project altogether.
Over 600 submissions were received with 49.7% in favour of the new facility and 50.3% were against: 64% from the Bruce rating area supported the new facility.
On the strength of this, the Council decided to proceed with the construction of a new community library and pool facility including the six-lane swimming pool. At the Council Meeting on 5 December 2024 Council agreed to the “Direct Appointment” of Calder Stewart as the contractor for the Bruce Community Facility Detailed Design and Build.
The approved budget of $19.4M covered all aspects of the overall project, including construction and carparking and included $6.4M of grants and other funding, leaving $13M to be funded by rates. Council decided that this $13M will be interest-only for a period of two years to reduce the rates impact.
Taking a wider view, it was agreed that the new building would also make a significant contribution to the ongoing upgrade of Union Street by providing a focal point on Milton’s main thoroughfare, encouraging increased foot traffic to surrounding businesses and other services.
