Teething problems at new Amberley Pool
By DAVID HILL Local Democracy Reporter
The Amberley Mainpower Pool has been experiencing some unexpected teething problems in its first full season of operation.
A technical fault on Christmas Eve and a high demand for season passes has caused some headaches for council staff, Hurunui District Council pool manager Naomi Woodham says.
The new pool opened for just one month last season, but is expected to operate for a full six month season until April.
A malfunction in the plant room on Christmas Eve saw the closure of the pool over the Christmas/New Year period, while the council waited to source replacement parts.
‘‘We had technicians out as soon as we could,’’ Woodham said.
‘‘We were going to be closed anyway, so we didn’t lost time to the general public, only to our members (season pass holders).’’
Residents have taken to social media to vent their frustrations at not being able to access the pool in the early morning or evening.
But Woodham said the council had the weigh up the extra cost of employing lifeguards from 6am to 9am and 6pm to 8pm.
‘‘We felt it wasn’t worth putting on life guards just for two or three hours, so we looked at different models.
‘‘The pool doesn’t make money, it is subsidised by the ratepayer.’’
They opted for a model based on Lyttelton Pool, offering season passes for $125 (plus a $10 bond) to regular users to use the pool between 6am and 9am and 6pm to 8pm.
‘‘We thought we might get 20 to 30 people, but it went crazy with the numbers,’’ she said.
‘‘It is full in the morning, so we had to put a cap on it.’’
Season passes for the five-lane pool have been capped at under 100 for lane swimming and aqua jogging.
The season pass holders were required to go through a health and safety briefing and were given lessons on how to take the cover off the pool and place it back on.
And there must be at least two people at the pool at all times.
‘‘Our members are great. They treat it like it is their own pool and they look after each other.’’
Woodham said there have also been complaints about the chlorine levels and water temperatures.
‘‘We’ve had some complaints from parents about the chlorine being too strong in the toddlers’ pool. We test it every hour and we’ve been keeping the chlorine level low, so it’s never been unsafe.’’
She said it was hard to find a balance, as some people preferred higher temperatures, but others said it was too hot.
■ Public interest journalism is funded by New Zealand on Air.
We're talking new year resolutions...
Tidying the house before going to bed each night, meditating upon waking or taking the stairs at work.
What’s something quick, or easy, that you started doing that made a major positive change in your life?
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.8% Summer
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35.8% Winter
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1.4% Other - I'll share below
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
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