Murgon’s Jubilee Swimming Pool, like most Council swimming pools, is closed over the winter months as a cost-saving measure

June 15, 2016

Heated council swimming pools in Murgon, Wondai and Kingaroy will be staying shut over the winter months because of costs.

A petition from 18 residents asking for the pools to be kept open year-round was discussed at Wednesday’s Council meeting.

Councillors were told the cost of running the three pools for an extra four months would be more than $130,000.

This was because electric heat pumps were fitted at all the pools to keep water temperatures at optimum levels regardless of the weather.

If the pools were kept open in the winter months, officers said, the pumps would need to run all night and some days as well.

They also noted that pool patronage always drops in the cooler months due to winter sport commitments, no school swimming programs and a lack of infrastructure to keep people warm.

If pool operating times were extended, they said, existing contracts with three pool managers would need to be renegotiated and amended.

Officers said a third factor to consider was that council workers used the winter months to carry out major repairs and maintenance on the facilities, in order to minimise disruptions during the swimming season.

This benefit would be lost if the pools were kept open year-round.

Cr Ros Heit said Council’s pool network already cost ratepayers an average $50 per year, and she thought the extra cost of opening during the winter months was unsustainable.

Deputy Mayor Kathy Duff said she’d spoken to a few people who’d signed the petition to get a better insight into their concerns.

A big motivator was the unusually warm autumn the South Burnett had this year, Cr Duff said.

Councillors decided to leave existing pool arrangements in place.


 

One Response to "Longer Pool Hours Unaffordable"

  1. The Nanango pool remains open throughout winter (on reduced hours), but it’s pretty useless to recreational swimmers due to the fact that the heating system simply isn’t up to the task of keeping the 25 metre pool at a comfortable temperature of 28°C or more. I can accept that competitive swimmers are still able to use the pool at around 25°C, but for the recreational swimmer who just wants to get in and have a bit of fun and maybe swim a few laps, it’s just too cold. Surely the funds saved by closing the other pools in the region could be put towards getting the Nanango pool heating system up to scratch. At least then we’d have somewhere to swim, even if it means a bit of travel.

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