Outpouring of support for old inner-city pools
The water may long have drained out of Hamilton’s dilapidated Municipal Pools, but deep support remains for building some kind of new pool complex on the site.
And the Victoria St complex could yet have a future as the hub of a ‘‘water quarter’’ – a suite of aquatic facilities – in the city.
Hamilton City Council’s recent community committee meeting was the scene of lengthy lamentations over the lack of public swimming facilities in the country’s fourth most populous city – and an outpouring of endorsement for resurrecting the old pools, which were closed down by the council in 2012.
Among the members of the Sink or Swim lobby group who addressed the committee during a public forum at the start of the meeting was Judy Patterson, who called on the council to effectively pool together the city’s future swimming facilities.
‘‘Some cities have a Latin quarter or a French quarter. Hamilton could have a water quarter.
‘‘No other city, according to Google, has one.’’
Patterson’s vision included a lido (outdoor) swimming and dive pool, swimming clubrooms, retail outlets, a cafe, and a tourist booking office.
The pool complex would link to the nearby rowing, fishing and waka ama clubs and, possibly a club for kayaking or other waterborne facilities.
While the committee was unable to immediately grant the wishes of the pro-pool advocates to restore the facility to its former glory, it did approve the preparation of a report that will explore options for the future of the site once the pools are demolished.
It will be referred to the Central City and River Plan Advisory Group chaired by deputy mayor Geoff Taylor.
Committee chairman Mark Bunting acknowledged the city was badly ‘‘under-laned’’ when it came to pool provision.
A solution would be found with some kind of aquatic facilities masterplan that would be included in the council’s forthcoming 2021-2031 long-term plan.
During a debate on the annual plan earlier this month, the council moved to defer the demolition of the pools – for which it already has resource consent – until the 2021/22 financial year, which brought an estimated saving to the coffers of $600,000.
Demolition of the old pools was seen as the only viable fate for the old complex, which had been deemed unsalvagable by engineering experts.
A suspected tomo is also believed to be hidden beneath one of the old pools.
Chris Dawson, a planner from consultancy firm Bloxam Burnett & Olliver, said despite what the Sink or Swim group believed, there was ‘‘no easy fix’’ for the old pools.
‘‘You have to start again with an entirely new structure. It was not a case of fill in some cracks, fill in some gaps.
‘‘It was well beyond that.’’ Earlier in the meeting, Sink or Swim spokeswoman Katherine Luketina told the meeting the shortage of swimming space in Hamilton was now ‘‘quite dire’’.
A public pool complex would be vital if the council were to fulfil its vision of a ‘‘20-minute city’’ – making all necessary facilities accessible via a bicycle trip of 20 minutes or less.
‘‘At every stage of the process the public has overwhelmingly opposed the closure and demolition of the munies.’’
Fellow Sink or Swim member Christina Campbell said when they were still operational, the pools ‘‘were an unbelievable hidden secret’’.
‘‘For me, they made the city liveable . . . it was the happiest and most vibrant place.’’
Also lending his support to the lobby group was former New Zealand representative diver Robin Hood, who moved to Hamilton as a teenager to train under coach Merv Campbell at the Municipal Pools.
‘‘This pool has enough historic pedigree to sink a ship ... a place where great aquatic champions in swimming, diving and water polo’’ had been trained, he said.