Public pools proving popular
Palmerston North’s swimming pools are overflowing with lane swimmers and club bookings, and city councillors have called for a study into whether it is time to build a new one.
The sport and recreation committee has asked for an investigation into whether city hall can partner a community group to build a new facility. One councillor proposed considering having a pool that allowed the city to host national events.
The investigation was prompted by a report into whether there was potential to better use the Ashhurst pool to relieve congestion at other pools, particularly for lane swimming.
Palmerston North Surf Lifesaving committee member Emily Brown, who is also a coach for the largely city-based Dannevirke Swim Club, said it was difficult to fit swimming training in at the Lido. Members used to train at Ashhurst, but had been ‘‘kicked out’’ by the management. Brown said it was hard to secure enough lane space for learning to swim and competitive training. She said swimmers often went on to become surf lifesavers and it was important the city provided them with access to facilities to support them keeping people safe at the beaches.
Some swimmers travelled out of the city to train, something she thought would never be expected of members of sporting codes like soccer and rugby.
Kiwi Canoe Polo Club president Colleen Sheldon said the club needed to retain its evening bookings from 7pm at the Freyberg Community Pool for its intermediate players. She did not want to see canoe polo, which already had a waiting list of young people wanting to join, pushed out to create more opportunities for lane swimming.
Cr Duncan Mccann said it was clear the city’s pools were ‘‘getting toward saturation’’ and it would be hard to cater for a growing population just by moving things around. He said the council should be planning facilities to cater for an increased population with more demands and should also consider setting up a pool that could host national events.
Cr Rachel Bowen said national guidelines suggested communities should have a ratio of 60 people per square metre of space for water sport and recreation.
Four councillors opposed her request that staff should start considering community partnerships to build a new pool facility before more homework was done about the need for such a development. ‘‘But there are moves in the community and if we don’t act, we might miss opportunities to improve public access to water sports,’’ Bowen said.
Mayor Grant Smith said there were tensions between pool users at peak times and people had to accept they could not always choose their ideal time to participate.