Refurbishment at Wanaka Community Pool

Wanaka Community Pool is to get a revamp this month to transform it into a more modern and eco-friendly facility.

As a result Lakes Leisure would like to advise swimmers of its temporary closure from Monday 12 to Friday 30 August while the 18-year-old pool undergoes much-needed refurbishment.

The planned upgrade includes a brand new pool heating system powered solely by wood chips that will feed a boiler. This will replace the existing, not-so-efficient electric heating system. The new boiler is expected to reduce running costs and become a more sustainable practice. Funds for the system were made available from an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority interest free loan that was granted to Queenstown Lakes District Council.

An energy-saving air management and heating system is also to be installed to stop the build up of condensation and retain heat within the building.

Other improvements include new insulating pool covers to help maintain water temperature and an anti-slip water resistant floor coating for the communal pool deck and changing room floors to improve safety around the pool.

The scheduled refurbishment at Wanaka Community Pool is part of a $345,000 upgrade to ‘futureproof’ the facility, following the decision to remove funding for a new swimming pool from the LTCCP.

Lakes Leisure took over the management of Wanaka Community Pool in February 2009 from the Wanaka Pool Committee. It has since increased its opening hours and the pool’s availability and now welcomes more than 2000 visitors to the pool each month.

Lakes Leisure Facilities Manager Cam Sheppard said it is the responsibility of Lakes Leisure to look for ways to continually improve and upgrade its services and that the timely programmed improvements at Wanaka will bring vastly improve the swimming pools standards.

“This is a community-owned facility and as such we need to make sure it’s kept in the best possible condition and run in the most economical way. The new additions and improvements at Wanaka Community Pool are necessary to keep costs down and to ensure our operations are as up-to-date and environmentally friendly as possible.”

“It will certainly be a vast improvement at Wanaka but the work being done is really about keeping the doors open for another 5-10 years and making the pool sustainably open all year round.”

The pool will be back to business as usual on Friday 30 August.

Those with membership to Wanaka Pool can take advantage of free access to Alpine Aqualand during the closure. Members will also have six weeks added to the end of their membership in compensation for the closed days.