Mount Maunganui Hot Pools too cold?

Complaints that the Mount Hot Pools are too cold has seen regular users resort to smuggling in thermometers to prove their point.
The issue that has bubbled away for years has roared into life with a series of public meetings this week - one organised by a regular pool user Kevin Akroyd and two called by Tauranga City Aquatics (TCAL) chief executive Tania Delahunty.
Mr Akroyd was stunned to learn of the notice circulated yesterday to pool customers by Ms Delahunty - coming after he had organised a poolside meeting for 8.30am on Sunday.
Mr Akroyd said his meeting, discussed with TCAL last Friday, had the support of regular users whose list of complaints included inconsistent pool temperatures, no hot water in the showers, the condition of the changing rooms and poor general maintenance.
Ms Delahunty said she had been intending to hold a meeting next week but had brought it forward to today and tomorrow after receiving a request.
However Mr Akroyd said Ms Delahunty's meeting called at short notice yesterday amounted to her trying to get in first.
"She is changing her tune by wanting to have a meeting. We came up with the idea to get everything out in the open, and a meeting on-site is best."'
A major source of annoyance for regulars was that their bodies told them the pools were chillier than the temperatures showing on the official poolside notice, prompting several including Mr Akroyd to bring in thermometers.
Safety concerns with taking thermometers into the pools had seen staff warn bathers not to take their own temperatures, but Mr Akroyd said he has continued to use a thermometer.
His latest readings, following an improvement in water temperatures, still showed the big active pool sitting 3C below the official 33-35C range on the notice board.
The placid pool with the fountains was 2C below the official 37-40C range and the spa was sitting on the coolest end of the official 38-41C range.
"The temperatures have been up and down for the last three years. It used to sit very regularly at around a 4 degree difference and sometimes it reached 5 degrees." In the old days, the placid pool had been so warm that bathers had to stand up after about 15 minutes but he said it started cooling down after an Australian company took over the running of the pools, he said.
The council subsequently took back control of its aquatic network, including the Hot Pools, after the company hit financial problems and stopped trading.
But the temperatures never improved and Ms Delahunty said in her notice to customers that TCAL had been planning to redevelop the Hot Pools for the past five to six years. The redevelopment would have included addressing the issues of the "aged plant and pipe work".
In an acknowledgment of the complaints from bathers, she said that TCAL appreciated that the delays in the redevelopment had impacted on the level of service to customers and the "quality of your experience".
While TCAL was working through redevelopment issues with the council, she said they wanted to hear from customers about their day-to-day experiences and work with them to "mitigate the impacts of an aged facility and improve our services to you".
Ms Delahunty's meetings at 5.30pm to 6.30pm today and 10am to 11am tomorrow were due to be held in Baywave's meeting room.