The roof is on as Taradale Community Pool plans for August opening

Taradale Primary School principal Marty Hantz looks at the Taradale Community Pool building construction. Photo / Warren Buckland

The Taradale Community Pool is set to open in August, and be officially named by the end of the week.

Steel portals were placed on March 23 ahead of the lockdown, forming the structure for the roof panels to go on, and with the help and involvement of approximately 100 people, the pool is now near-completion.

Taradale Community Pool Trust chairman Brendon Rope said so far approximately $800,000 had been spent to get the pool up to standard.

"If everything goes well then we should be ready to open in August.

"My involvement was always to do with giving kids a great aquatic facility where they can learn to swim, and this will do just that," Rope said.

The pool will also be getting a new name.

"We will be announcing the pool name shortly," Rope said.

"A generous donor had made a significant contribution to the fundraising, and naming it after the donor will be our show of gratitude."

For almost four years the Taradale Community Pool Trust – a group of parents, residents and community members - have been fighting for the rebuild.

Rope said while the construction would continue, the pool would also be securing operators who will run the traditional "learn-to-swim offerings".

"The trust will be engaging with operators for the pool, but regardless of who the operator will be there will be three definite things on offer," he said.

"It will be available to the five schools in the area during school term. That's a ministry requirement,

"It will offer learn-to-swim lessons and clubs will be able to get access."

Rope said the pool would also mean the other pools in Taradale would be less congested.

"It will free them up a bit too."

Marty Hantz, principal of Taradale Primary School, said he was "really excited" at the prospect of the pool opening.

"There have been a good 10 to 20 people working on it every day. A variety of contractors, painters, roofers etc and their hard work will pay off," Hantz said.

"It's had huge community input, and once it is finished the community will be able to swim in it all year long."

He said the pool had enough capacity for swimming lessons for everyone.

"The pool also has a 20-year strategic plan, it will be here for a long time for our community. And it will be a really attractive asset for us," he said.

"I want to say a big thanks to the trust. I am super excited for it to open again."

The pool closed in 2016 due to the complex not meeting revised building standards.

Stage 1 of the work began in July 2019 with old site grounds being demolished.