Marton Swim Centre rebuild: Construction to start but reopening delayed to 2027

The Marton Swim Centre is unlikely to reopen before February next year after a partial collapse of the roof in August 2024. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown

Construction on the damaged Marton Swim Centre will begin soon after confirmation of a contractor, but the facility is not expected to reopen before February.

The swim centre’s roof partially collapsed in August 2024 after structural damage to a beam.

Rangitīkei District Council approved the appointment of a contractor in a public-excluded meeting on April 9, with councillors voting nine to three in favour.

Work will start once the contract is signed.

The council had hoped to reopen the pool by September this year.

However, Rangitīkei Deputy Mayor Dave Wilson told the Chronicle this week the centre was unlikely to open before next February, meaning another missed summer season.

“I’m really hopeful that by the middle of next year we should be up and running,” Wilson said.

”It is really disappointing but we must go back to our original decision in September 2024. The decision was to take a look at the pool with a holistic view of what the future of that community asset looks like going forward."

Last September the council voted for an ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) roof with a steel frame.

The latest design imagery showing the ethylene tetrafluoroethylene roof for Marton Swim Centre. Image / Rangitīkei District Council

Wilson said choosing the contractor felt like a big moment in the project’s development.

He “absolutely” expected construction to start as soon as the contract was signed.

“I’d be wanting to see hammers being drawn and holes dug as soon as possible – the sooner we can see some spades in the ground, the better.”

The project is estimated to cost $6 million.

Wilson said the council had secured a “significant” funding contribution from a private organisation, which could not be named.

The remaining costs would be met through external funding and existing budgets, he said.

“We can now push the go button; that allows us to go out proactively to external funding organisations because we have a live project.

“It is difficult to go out and say ‘we are thinking about this’. We are now going out and saying ‘we are doing this’.”

Councillor Alan Buckendahl said the council was mindful of community expectations and financial pressures.

“We hear our residents. We know progress can feel slow at times, but we are working hard to deliver what our community wants while being responsible with ratepayer money,” Buckendahl said.

Wilson said the council had the “best information” available to make a strong, strategic decision.

“I’m really, really hopeful that we can now bring our community together with us on the journey to future-proof and develop a longer-lasting asset, not only for us here now, but for those to come - that is really important.”

Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.