Summer splashing back on at park
Palmerston North’s Memorial Park free swimming pool will be open after all this summer.
The city council had planned for the pool to remain closed while construction of the adjoining $235,000 playground and splash pad continued until March. But after community protest, staff have come up with a plan to fill and reopen the pool some time next month, although there will be restrictions.
City councillors welcomed the development at their final meeting of the year on Monday.
Cr Lorna Johnson said she had been uncomfortable about removing the facility from community use without an alternative and she was pleased staff acted with urgency to come up with a solution.
Cr Rachel Bowen said she was delighted the council had been able to respond to community disappointment ‘‘in a small if complicated way’’.
City resident Jenine Scoon said she was ‘‘stoked’’ the council had found a way to work around health and safety issues to allow people back into the pool.
Council parks and reserves manager Kathy Dever-tod said the compromise, which would allow access to the water, was not ideal and there was still a possibility the pool would have to close at times during the building project.
Space around the edge of the pool would be limited, with a temporary fence put up to keep people out of the construction area. The lower car park would be closed, so people would have to park at the top and walk down from Main St or Fitzroy St.
The council would have a staff member on duty to manage visitors to the pool and any security and safety issues.
Dever-tod said if the situation became too hard tomanage and the pool had to be closed, there were options to provide sessions of free entry to the Freyberg Pool instead.