Jelly Park pool prices to double

Press, 17 May 1984, Page 9

Jelly Park pool prices to double

Some charges at Jelly Park Aqualand should be doubled, the Waimairi District Council’s finance committee decided last evening. Meeting to discuss its estimates for 1984-85, the committee recommended increases in charges from 50c to $1 for adults, from $1 to $2 for family concessions, from $l5 to $25 for 10 coaching sessions and from $5 to $l2 for staff and councillors' concession tickets.

The meeting also decided that the family concession ticket should be available for groups with two adults and two children, instead of the four children permitted in the past. A proposal to increase children’s admission from 40c to 75c was dropped.

Cr Arthur Adcock said the increases were too high. There were guidelines to restrict price rises since the freeze had ended. “Here we are in a recreational area increasing adult fees 100 per cent. I think the Minister of Trade and Industry would frown a bit at that,” he said. The disrict chairman, Mrs Margaret Murray, said the council had invested about $750,000 in Jelly Park during the freeze, so the increases were justified. Swimmers were getting good value for their money and the charges were fair and reasonable. Cr Brian Shackel said that the park was still a burden on ratepayers, even with the higher charges. The meeting was told that

Jelly Park would cost about $356,000 to run this financial year. Admission charges would rise about $73,100 and about $150,000 would come from rates.

Last evening's finance committee meeting was the second special meeting held to debate this year’s estimates.

Over all, there will be no increase in rates. Although council spending is 1.92 per cent more than last year, it is matched by an increase of 1.97 per cent in the rateable capital value in the district.

Ratepayers will not get the same rate demand as last year, however. Riding boundaries have been changed since last year, so all ratepayers will pay a different rate in the dollar. The change in rates will range from a decrease of 8 per cent on last year to an increase of 4.2 per cent. Last evening’s meeting ended in confusion after councillors were told that the adjustments they had made to the estimates would add about $40,000 to the total rate levy. If taken from rates that sum would add about 0.5 per cent across the board. The $40,000 increase came from committee recommendations to increase grants by $13,000 and to go ahead with the renewal of lights on Memorial Avenue. Income for Jelly Park fell about $17,000 because the committee decided not to increase some entrance charges as much as originally intended. The meeting decided that the $40,000 should come from a land purchase reserve account, rather than from rates. The council will meet on Wednesday to confirm the new rates.