Clash over future of 100-year-old pool

The council is yet to decide whether the 100-year-old pool will remain open. Photo / Thinkstock

A report has revealed it will cost $81,600 to keep Hamilton's 100-year-old Municipal Pools open until the end of June, and ratepayers will have to pay $1.4 million if the Hamilton City Council decides they should stay open permanently.

The lobby group Sink or Swim hopes to use the time to convince the council not to close the pools permanently and has disputed figures in the latest report that suggest only 330 people a month are visiting the pools.

The council said last year it would close the facility at the end of the month because of low patronage and several leaks.

Sink or Swim spokeswoman Megan Bourke planned to question the figures in the latest report because they looked "completely wrong". She said she was was baffled that only $3000 in revenue was estimated for April to June.

At $3 a person, that equated to only about 330 people a month which she said did not add up when school groups of about 200 children were using the facility.

Ms Bourke was still convinced the council should be spending money on the continued upkeep of the pool.

For the pools to stay open past June, the council would have to spend $1.185 million in the next year to fix the pipes, water leaks and structural problems.

The cost would result in pushing the proposed 3.8 per cent rate increase up by 1 per cent.

The pools would also need $250,000 to earthquake-proof the structure in 2019 and the annual operational cost of $210,000 would also have to be factored into the council's tight 10-year budget.

Hamilton deputy mayor Gordon Chesterman said it was a huge dilemma for the council, as $1.4 million was needed.

"I'm feeling a bit awkward about the fact it is a 100-year-old swimming pool that we haven't maintained to the level we should have. Up to 10 schools use that on a regular basis. Those schools ... will be forced to run buses and go further afield."

He expected there to be a large debate when the future of the heritage protected facility was discussed at a special council meeting on Thursday.

THE FIGURES

* Pool is 100 years old and New Zealand's largest in-ground pool.
* $1.435 million upgrade required.
* annual operating cost is $210,000.
* 9143 people used it between July and last month.
* $81,600 is net cost to keep it operating until end of June.