Green light sought for early return of saved community pool

A rural Canterbury community pool once earmarked for demolition could reopen this month, with volunteers working to get it ready for swimmers.

The Tāwera Community Trust is taking ownership of the Sheffield Memorial Pool and is seeking permission to open before the legal transfer from the Selwyn District Council is complete.

Trustee Zara Sandom said the Trust had been given access to carry out maintenance, but it wanted permission to operate the pool while it remained under council ownership.

A legal transfer to the trust may not be settled until January, but schools want access before then to meet Ministry of Education curriculum standards.

"We have started getting the pool ready to go and are hoping to get approval to make it available for the schools to use for lessons later this month, and then get the community in from December.

"It's several years in the making, so it's exciting to be reaching the point of taking control."

A decision paper is due before the council on November 11, after chief executive Steve Gibling told councillors at an October 21 meeting that any early opening would require clarification around the council's liability.

The outdoor pool originally opened in 1953 as a World War II post-war commemorative project and was deemed to have reached the end of its serviceable life by the council, which in the 2024–2034 long-term plan proposed to permanently close and demolish it.

The community fiercely rejected the plans, and the council agreed to keep the pool open in the 2024/25 season and gave the community until the end of June 2025 to establish a legally independent entity capable of taking it over.

The Tāwera Community Trust was formed, and it signed a handover agreement with the council in July last year.

The community successfully saved the pool from demolition and then secured the $160,000 tagged for the demolition to be used to bring the facility up to standard, once the transfer is official.

The Trust were granted access to undertake maintenance and was on site over the weekend to begin preparing the pool for a potential opening later this month.

Sandom said they cleaned out the main pool that had "water that was very green from sediment that had blown in".

They sealed cracks and closed off an old drain, believed to be responsible for a lot of water loss, Sandom said.

"It won't be all of the leaks, but we hope it will slow them down for this summer.

"We will be running the pool as is this season, so there will be some leaks, but it will be safe and a great asset for the community again.

"We will look to start the refurbishment as soon as we can."

The paddling pool was repainted, steps and handrails were smoothed and repainted, and there was some general tidying up of the grounds and fences, she said.

Once open, public access will only be to season pass key holders, and they will all be required to go through a thorough in-person induction and complete a waiver, she said.

"That's all about safety becasue people have been used to having council lifeguards on duty.

"As a volunteer-led initiative, the future of the facility relies on the community continuing to enjoy and respect the pool, ensuring it can be maintained and appreciated for years to come."