Proposals For Pool Not Supported

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31981, 7 May 1969, Page 1

Proposals For Pool Not Supported

The Christchurch City Council’s proposed modifications to the Centennial Pool to bring it up to Commonwealth Games standard were not considered satisfactory by management committee members of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association last evening.

“The Centennial Pool was completed in 1950 and was out of date six or seven years later. Now they want to throw a roof over an outdated pool on which they have already spent too much,” the chairman (Mr A. J. Donaldson) said. Mr Donaldson also strongly denied that the association bad been kept informed or even consulted on the proposal to adapt the present pool for Christchurch’s application for the 1974 Commonwealth Games, as was claimed by Mr H. C. Blazey, the chairman of the sports committee of the Canterbury Commonwealth Games Promotion Society and a city councillor. After hearing a report from Mr C. Hamann, the

chairman of the society’s facilities and venues committee, and viewing plans for a new Olympic-standard pool, the association decided to seek a meeting with the council to discuss swimming facilities. Mr Hamann presented a report outlining the advantages and disadvantages of the council’s proposal to add an extra lane, more seating and a roof to the Centennial Pool. He concluded that the disadvantages would weigh very heavily against Christchurch’s pursuit of the games. Pool Requirements To reach the standard required for Commonwealth Games swimming, a pool would have to consist of eight lanes, be 50 metres in length, to be heated, covered, have air-conditioning and be of a standard depth. Mr Hamann said that desirable facilities would be a separate practice pool, which might also be used as a warmup pool, a separate diving pool and a uniform depth of about 3ft 6in.

The advantages of the council’s proposal were an initial capital saving and the provision of a central all-year-round swimming pool. However, “on the financial side I cannot imagine how the Centennial Pool could possibly be converted to a covered, air-conditioned permanent pool of Olympic standard with accommodation for some 2000 spectators, which would be needed for New Zealand national competitions, for as little as $300,000 to $400,000,” Mr Hamann said. “The suggestion of Games Promotion to the council a few months ago was that a permanent pool of such Olympic standard could be salvaged from a games pool with temporary seating for upwards of 6000. The residual capital cost to the city would be about $800,000.” be said.

Mr Hamann said that he could not understand the estimate of sl.4m reached by the chairman of the parks and reserves committee (Cr P. J. Skellerup) for the construction of a new pool. He suggested that Cr Skellerup might have based his figure on the Moana Pool in Dunedin where extensive hillside earthwork and levelling was necessary and many other facilities were provided. Disadvantages Given The disadvantages of the council’s proposal were listed as the loss of an open-air swimming pool (the present Centennial Pool) to the public, the disfigurement of the present pool's attractive setting, the lack of extension of swimming facilities, the complication of co-ordinating swimming and diving practices and warm-ups with games events, the objection to varying depths of the pres-1

ent pool, the demand for car parking for some 8000 persons in the immediate area, and the stopping of traffic flow through Oxford Terrace. “Abroad it has been established that one Olympic standard covered and conditioned pool is required for every 50,000 of urban population. If that was accepted as correct, and I can see no reason why it should not be, Christchurch would call for four such pools,” Mr Hamann said.

A swimming pool capable of permanently seating 6000 to 8000 spectators would be “a white elephant,” he said, but a pool with a capacity of up to 2000 would be an asset to Christchurch. Plan Outlined Mr Hamann’s plan was for a temporary structure of steel, timber decking and tiers which could be reduced after the games to an inner core of concrete and permanent building. The temporary materials would be resold easily and the permanent roof could be built from the original one which would be held in place by a series of towers along each side of the structure. The estimated cost was $BOO,OOO. The alterations to the Centennial Pool would provide only an immediate saving for a few years before another Olympic-standard pool was required in the city, Mr Hamann said. The Commonwealth Games pool would have a length of about 400 ft and a width of about 220 ft. The Centennial Pool could be used for diving events and practice swimming.

Mr Hamann’s report concluded: “Perhaps, after all, Christchurch is not quite big enough, and I don’t mean physically.” Mr J. H. Johnson said that the council had had access to Mr Hamann’s plans since last’October. The motion for members of the association to meet the council was carried unanimously. Mr Hamann was applauded after presenting his report.