Students from Ponatahi Christian School enjoying swimming lessons at the Carterton Indoor Pool on Thursday. PHOTO/ELISA VORSTER
ELISA VORSTER
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Students from Ponatahi Christian School were making a splash on Thursday after a quick fix at the Carterton indoor pools meant swimming lessons could restart.
The school is one of many nearby schools which uses the indoor pool facilities on Pembroke St but faced a difficult decision to suspend lessons after a private inspection led to concerns around the stability of the structure.
Volunteers from the Carterton Swim Club have since removed items from a small area of the roof at the northern end of the pool which were considered at risk of falling.
Ponatahi Christian School principal Peter Bertram was pleased his students could restart swimming lessons on Thursday, which were halted when initial concerns about the pool’s safety were raised at the end of last year.
“The Carterton Swim Club is basically a group of volunteers who work hard for the community with minimal help from the council compared to the investment in the Events Centre for example, and we have had a very good relationship with them for many years,” Bertram said.
“Almost every student who has come through our primary school in the last generation has ended up being a competent swimmer.”
The next step for the swim club is to present options to the council, which owns the land and adjacent outdoor pools, about whether it would be financially viable for the club to carry out the necessary repairs or it would be better to seek funding for a new aquatic facility in conjunction with the council.
Come on Wairarapa lets all donate and fix Cartertons swimming pool.It is a great assett to the town and just a little bit of help will fix it .