The other two options encompassed more work, including mid-term enhancements that included adding slip resistance around the pools and upgrading the changing rooms; and a full upgrade that aimed to reinstate the facility with 50-year design and maximum community engagement but would change the 50m pool to multiple 25m pools.
The Marton Swim Centre houses the only 50m pool in the Whanganui and Rangitīkei districts.
Three alternative options also considered were to close the facility, build a brand new facility or remove the roof and make it an outdoor facility.
Cost estimates and final designs are to be confirmed and will be discussed at a future council meeting.
“The next stage is verifying the work that will need to be done and how quickly tenders can be put in place, then we’ll have a better idea of timeframes,” Rangitīkei Mayor Andy Watson said.
It is estimated the Marton Swim Centre will remain closed at least until mid-2026 because of contractor availability and the consent processes.
The expected timeline is that a contract will be awarded in November and work will start in February 2026.
Although details on estimated costs have not been released yet, Watson confirmed one sponsor had already offered a “significant level of support”.
The decision to go with the base recommendations option was influenced by its ability to balance the timeline and the potential to conduct future works.
“Our community sees the swimming pool as needing as urgent work as possible,” Watson said.
The crucial work to ensure a safe and operational facility could be completed under this project while providing the chance to make further renovations in the future.
“The decision to strengthen the walls and replace the roof has reserved the right to be able to look at future changes down the track,” Watson said.
Potential future changes include adding a hydrotherapy pool and splitting the 50m pool into multiple 25m pools.
The removal of the 50m pool would require Whanganui Swimming Club to train in Palmerston North, Hāwera or Feilding, as it has been doing since the Marton Swim Centre’s closure and will continue to until the centre reopens.
Whanganui Swimming Club board member Aaron Bunker said the club was happy to regain the training facility.
“It’s definitely a good thing that some investment is going into keeping the 50m pool operational,” Bunker said.
However, Bunker would prefer a new Whanganui-based facility because Marton Swim Centre was not suitable for hosting swim meets.
“There is a real need for a decent 50m complex within the lower half of the North Island. Currently, the closest ones to us are Wellington in Kilbirnie, and then Hawke’s Bay,” he said.
“It’s a real opportunity here for Whanganui to invest in a sport, build a decent 50m facility, and then we can start looking at holding meets which would encompass basically the lower half of the North Island.
“While I’d rather see greater development around a whole new 50m complex somewhere, having the one in Marton is better than nothing at all.”
Olivia Reid is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.
