SPLASH Centre user fees are on the rise.
With the pool set to open its doors on April 19, the District Council has decided to raise the price of general adult admission from $3.50 to $4.50.
Other charges will also increase.
Senior citizens will pay $3 instead of $2, children aged five to
15 will pay $3 instead of $2.50 and students and community service card holders $4 instead of $2.50.
Preschooler charges are rising to $1.50 from $1 and a family pass (two adults, two children) will increase from $10 to $12.
General admission charges will be more expensive than at Palmerston North's Lido ($3.50), and Wellington's Freyberg Pool ($3.50).
However, the council noted neither comparison included the use of hot pools and saunas, which would be covered in the Splash Centre's admission price.
The only exception is the hydroslide, which will cost $3 extra.
The increased fees will be used to subsidise the pool's increased running costs, which have more than doubled.
The pool will cost $1.46 million to run each year, compared to $680,000 before the renovations.
Although the council expects the pool to attract a 50 percent increase in visits, this would not cover the running costs in their entirety.
Instead, they will be met with a combination of price increases and rates.
The ratepayer's contribution, set for 42 percent if low-end estimates are met, will be reduced if the number of admissions is high.
The $6.6 million Splash Centre renovation was originally intended to finish last year, but creeping delays meant it was held up until February and finally April.
Manager Danny Jonas also a councillor but who did not participate in the vote said the pool was still set to open on time.
"We're definitely on track. The pools are filled and being heated and treated [and] we have built a really good staffing team up who are looking forward to getting stuck in."
The new charges, while slightly higher, still represented value for money, he said.
"It's a fair deal when you consider what you're getting compared to what you were getting before, with entry into the sauna and hot pools too."
