Wednesday Write In:Pool is closed at busiest times

I have recently received a sports injury that meant I had to find a low impact exercise until my injury heals, so what better to maintain my fitness, I thought, than swimming.

So off I went Monday night at 6pm to the Napier Aquatic Centre in Onekawa.

The lights were on, there were people in the pools, and the billboard at the road clearly said open from 6am to 9pm week days, so why then was I refused entry?

I was informed that the Napier Aquatic Centre is closed to the public every week day from 3pm till 7pm winter and summer.

What a ridiculous notion to close a swimming pool at the most demanding time.

So I duly stamped my feet and threw my toys ... apparently I was not the first to do so. "What can I do about this," I demanded to know. Apparently ... nothing.

I was told by the staff that the council has received numerous complaints from them and the public, and it is well aware that this public facility is not servicing public needs - but it simply doesn't care and there is not a damn thing you or I can do about it.

I don't want a whole pool, just a couple of lanes set aside for swimmers who choose not to enrol in a swim programme, after all this is a public facility is it not?

Petrina Anderson, Napier

Response: The Napier City Council has received few complaints about the pool hours of operation (only three during the past 12 months).

The pool is currently closed to the public between 5pm and 7pm during the winter school term for swimming school classes.

Napier City Council is fully aware of the issues involved in trying to balance increasing demand for the use of the pool for recreation, training, classes and other programmes and strives to accommodate as many as possible for maximum community benefit.

The hours will be reviewed again early next year.