There were 10,368 visits to the pool last season. Photo / Bevan Conley
The Whanganui East Pool could shut down within months, a blow to a suburb residents say is already lacking in activities.
Whanganui District Council is proposing to close the facility to keep the average rates rise for 2024/25 to 10.6 per cent.
According to its long-term plan (LTP) draft consultation document, investing in upgrading the pool would add $22.40 per property a year to the proposed rates increase.
“This pool has provided a great space for the wider community to cool off, get active and spend some time together,” it said.
“However, multiple issues have been identified which will require a significant investment of over $2 million to keep it operating.”
Issues included leaks, a filtration system not meeting PoolSafe requirements and “tired structures posing multiple risk hazards”.
The document said operating the pool cost about $250,000 a year.
There were 10,368 admissions to the pool in the season from December 16, 2023, to March 16 this year.
Due to the council’s stance on the pool, councillor Charlie Anderson voted against the consultation document, the only one to oppose it.
He said closing it would be a tragedy for Whanganui East and the whole community.
“That pool has trained thousands of kids over the years and saved lives.
“If it closes, they won’t go to the Splash [Centre], they’ll go to the river.”
Whanganui East Swimming Club president Todd Sollitt said volunteers had put in a lot of work at the pool over the years, including lengthening it, building the learners’ and babies’ pools, and providing labour for the construction of the water slide.
Work needed to be done but not as much as the council was suggesting, Sollitt said.
“The pool itself is all right, what it needs is a new set of toilets and changing rooms because they are not disability-friendly.
“There is a strip of land there that could be used for that, no trouble at all.”
More kids swimming in the river meant a greater chance of drownings, Sollitt said.
Mayor Andrew Tripe said the viability of the Whanganui East Pool was a question that kept coming up.
A final decision had not been made but, as an old pool, it was costing more and more to maintain.
“Having an open-air pool seems to be desirable for the community,” Tripe said.
“I guess there are three options - Whanganui East, somewhere near the Splash Centre or none at all.
“We want to hear people’s views on that but, at the end of the day, we are going to have to make some tough calls.”
Whanganui East School principal Eleanore Barry said she was devastated by the council’s proposal and a lot of people were “hot under the collar” about it.
There was a long list of schools that used the pool, Barry said.
“All you can do is put in a submission and hope they use better judgement on this one.”
She said installing an outdoor pool at the Splash Centre would cost more than maintaining the Whanganui East facility.
“We are sort of the forgotten part of the city,” she said.
“I think it was in 2004 or 2005 when the council was talking about closing the pool because it was going to cost so much to maintain.
“Twenty years later, it’s still there.”
In April 2005, the council said shutting the pool would save $45,000 a year but the Splash Centre was struggling to meet demand and closure could “compound the problem”.
The last Whanganui public open-air pool to close was in Gonville in 2005.
Whanganui East resident Ngaire Newland said her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren had all used the pool.
She said people understood the rates increase would be high but there had to be a way to keep it open without spending millions.
“Can we not have people help to keep this thing? For example, my husband used to work for a company that specialised in stopping leaks in local government water tanks.
“It’s nice to go to the art gallery or the museum but it’s pretty essential to learn to swim.”
Tripe said there was no doubt Whanganui East Pool had its merits, both for recreation and swimming lessons, but it was only open for a small period each year.
“Is the pool one area where we can look to make some cuts? Let’s hear from our community.”
Consultation on the long-term plan is open until May 2.
Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.