Wanganui East Pool to open this weekend

Published on 19 December 2013

19 December 2013

Mayor Annette Main today said the Wanganui East Pool is due to open on Saturday morning (December 21) under the management of the Wanganui East Pool Trust.

The opening of the outdoor pool complex for the 2013/14 season has been delayed while investigations and temporary repairs were completed.

“At the end of the 2012/13 season the Council became aware that the Wanganui East Pool was losing a substantial amount of water,” Mayor Main said.

“There were obvious cracks in the floor of the pools and when draining the pool we took the opportunity to test the underground pipework which seems to be in reasonable condition.

“The Council agreed to do some work to fix problem areas in the short-term so the pool complex could open before Christmas. Work that has been done by the Council and the Wanganui East Pool Trust includes temporary repairs to the cracks in the pools, fixing trip hazards and other minor hazards and receiving confirmation that the buildings and hydroslide are not earthquake-prone.

“We hope that the ‘band aid’ approach we have taken will enable the Wanganui East Pool to get through this season but the complex is nearly 100 years old and is very fragile.”

The remedial investigations confirmed that the plant and pool structure are nearing the end of their economic life, with the boiler unable to operate. The Council investigated alternative options to heat the pool such as repairing the existing boiler, obtaining second-hand boilers (including the existing boiler at the closed Gonville pool), solar water heating, temporarily hiring a boiler or installation of a new boiler. However, none of these options were viable for the coming season.

“As a result, the pool will open for this season as an open air unheated pool that is likely to reach temperatures in the region of 18-21 degrees,” Mayor Main said.

“Further investigations found that the filtration and circulation systems are unable to meet the current Pool Safe standards. To mitigate this issue, the Council and the Wanganui East Pool Trust will increase the frequency of water testing. We can assure the community that the pool has met the water quality standards in previous years and that the additional testing is a further step to mitigate an identified risk.

“We also engaged a geo-technical engineer to investigate the subsurface below the pools due to the high volume of water loss and contributing subsidence. This report identified that the subsurface is very soft and wet. There are multiple water-filled voids that most likely have compromised the integrity of the pools’ structure. While this does not create a safety concern, the poor foundations very much limits the life of the pool structure.

“We are reasonably confident that the community will get the benefit of enjoying one more season at the Wanganui East Pool, but the facility is unlikely to see another season. The Council will be considering the long-term future of the pool in the new year.”

The opening hours to the public are 10:00am-6:00pm Monday to Thursday and 10:00am to 5:00pm Friday to Sunday. The admission fee for children is $3.00 and adults $3.50.

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