People from all walks of life are expected to be motivated to help beautify the Lake Dunstan shoreline by the installation of a community tool shed at McNulty Inlet.

The $20,000 project by Lake Dunstan Charitable Trust was given a funding boost of $8,580 yesterday by the Cromwell Community Board, through its community grants.

This would cover purchasing and fitting out a 10ft container near the Inlet toilets but not the cost of tools themselves, estimated at over $11,000.   

Trust Community Engagement Coordinator Megan Phillips told the board groups in Cromwell had been seeking funding for tools individually and to have a community set free to use would enable them to use funds for other projects.

A booking system would be set up for tool use, she said. Land Information New Zealand(LINZ), who administer the site, had agreed to consider the project once funding was shown to be available. 

She believed the facility would encourage community spirit and give people a sense of ownership of the lake shore. The Trust had applied for $20,088.44 from the Board but with only $49, 925 available in total for community grants each year, it was felt that to give the whole amount would eat into what is now a contestable fund too greatly.

The Trust secured just over $1M from LINZ as part of the governments ‘Jobs for Nature’ programme, to carry out restoration projects and surveys, and employ staff for four years. That fund was not available for extra projects such as the tool shed.

Planting native species is a key part of the Trust’s work on the shoreline, which was currently uninhabitable for these plants. This was due to nutrient deficient soils and the presence of pest species.

Consent Fees Paid Back

The Cromwell Lions and Rotary Club’s charity house build will have council consent fees repaid via a grant of $4,937 also approved yesterday. The groups, relying heavily on volunteers, have built a house which will be auctioned. The proceeds will go to the new St John ambulance station in Cromwell. 

Wrong Bucket

Two applications for community grants were declined due to directing their request for money to the “wrong bucket” of council funds. The Central Otago Motorcycle Club had misunderstood the process in asking for funds for lease fees for its site off Bannockburn Road. The premises are on Board endowment land and the lease should be funded through a rent rebate, the meeting heard.

The Club, which last year had over 150 track users and over 300 members, has been receiving a rental rebate since 2007. 

The Cromwell Speedway, also located on endowment land, had applied for $20,000 for promotional and maintenance work which didn’t fully fit with community grant criteria, community development officer Nikki Aaron said. 

Cromwell Youth Trust, which had flourished over recent years, had its application for $60,000 for a new youth worker declined yesterday. Since applying the group had secured some funds toward the role and also because it was an ongoing cost, the board felt it would not be appropriate to approve it.

Deputy Mayor and Board member, Neil Gillespie, said there had been support in the past such as building the extension to the resource centre where the Trust operate and he questioned going “above and beyond that”.

Deputy Mayor and Board member, Neil Gillespie

“They have gone ahead in leaps and bounds but we might be better to look at project-based funding.”  

Groups had initially been invited to apply for three years of funding under the new contestable system but it was now to be reviewed and only one year of grants are currently being issued throughout Central Otago.

The next funding round opens in March next year.