Tuesday 28 April 2009

Lawrence community to look at future options for pool

A public meeting will be held in Lawrence on 5 May to discuss future options for the local swimming pool.

Lawrence-Tuapeka Ward Councillor Geoff Blackmore said that there were a number of major issues currently facing the pool. This included declining usage and an estimated $320,000 renewal work over the next decade.

“The pool has been closed at times during summer months in recent years due to increased maintenance needs,” Mr Blackmore said.  “It is now at the point where the pool faces $320,000 worth of major renewal work over the next 10 years just to keep it open.”

Mr Blackmore said that due to these issues and the fact that the Lawrence pool was only open for four months of the year, now was the appropriate time to discuss its future with the community.

The public meeting will address three main questions:

• Does the community want to retain a swimming pool in Lawrence?

• If a swimming pool is retained, would the community consider taking ownership of the pool and use volunteers in order to reduce costs for local ratepayers? This could save $53 rates on a medium value Lawrence property.

• Is it time to build a new, modern heated swimming pool in Lawrence and would the community support this through fundraising, seeking grants etc? This option has previously been mooted by the Lawrence-Tuapeka Community Board.

The public meeting will be held at the St Johns Rooms, Ross Place, Lawrence from 7.30pm on Tuesday 5 May. All interested people are invited to attend.

The sustainability of the Lawrence swimming pool, as well as the sustainability of all Council-operated pools, has been identified as a key issue in Council’s draft Long Term Plan currently out for public consultation. Information about what is planned for other Council-operated pools (in Balclutha, Kaitangata and Milton) can be found in the draft Long Term Plan document available online by clicking here or by contacting your nearest Council office.