Selwyn_Times: May 17, 2023

• By Daniel Alvey
THE SHEFFIELD Memorial
Pool will not close yet, despite
its $500,000 repair bill.
District councillors decided
not to take up the option to
close the pool and will instead
consult with the community
on its future as part of the next
Long Term Plan.
The closure was debated
at the community services
committee meeting after a staff
report was tabled on the state of
the district’s
community
pools.
The report
estimated
Sheffield pool
will need
$500,000 in
repairs before
the summer
of 2025.
Three
key areas
of concern were raised in the
report. The pool tub appears
to be leaking, there is flooding
risk around the driveway area,
and the pergola at the site has
structural issues.
District council head of sport
and recreation and author of
the report, James Richmond,
said the 70-year-old pool has
past its life expectancy.
Rolleston Ward district
councillor Sophie McInnes
said undertaking the expensive
repairs would take money away
from other planned upgrades in
the district.
“Sheffield pool is under four
different titles, the council
only owns part of the land it
sits on. The flood risk is real
and is increasing . . . the cost
of renovation is pretty high
already . . . and I’d be surprised
if it didn’t increase to a million,”
McInnes said.
“To be honest, renovating
Sheffield pool
would be
detrimental
to a Darfield
facility.
“I can accept
that Sheffield
loves and
appreciates its
70-year-old
pool but it’s
almost a wee
bit of exceptionalism to expect
it will continue forever.”
McInnes said Springfield
School also has a pool and
is only a 10min drive from
Sheffield.
District councillors also
raised the option of building
a new pool at Sheffield School.
The $70,000 a year currently
used to run Sheffield Memorial
Pool could then be given to the
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
school to help it build the new
pool.
Mayor Sam Broughton and
Richmond visited the school
earlier this year to discuss the
future of the Sheffield pool.
When asked about a potential
new pool, principal Nigel
Easson said he would discuss
the idea with the school
community and board before
commenting.
But he said the Sheffield
pool is a vital asset to the
community. He estimated it is
used about 2000 times a season
by pupils.
The report also highlighted
issues with the Killinchy Pool,
near Leeston.
It is run by volunteers but
there are not enough of them to
operate it effectively.
“This has led to decreased
testing proficiency and a lack
of clear corrective actions,” the
report stated.
“Over the 2022/23 summer
season, there were seven
occasions where the pool water
was outside of the NZ standards
and no clear corrective actions
were recorded.”
The report stated the pool had
about 80 visits last summer but
the lack of volunteers means it
may not be able to open next
season.
NEWS 9
Pool won’t close despite $500k repair bill
James
Richmond
Sophie
McInnes
Wednesday May 17 2023 Selwyn Times
LEAKY: Sheffield School pupils use the Sheffield Memorial
Pool on West Coast Rd.
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