At the end of April, the Swim Zone Matamata indoor pool, changing rooms and spa were closed after learning the Swim Zone Matamata pool roofing structure, and various other parts of the sports centre, were at risk in an earthquake.

The indoor pool roof was completed in the late 1980s and while it has performed well in a harsh environment, it was identified in our maintenance planning as being due for replacement this year. While this had been budgeted for, the assessment prior to carrying out this work revealed the entire roof support system needed replacing, from the foundations up.

After being made aware of the risk with the indoor pool structure, we assessed the level of compliance across the rest of the facility. Other areas were also found wanting, and what started out as a $1.5 million project to carry out the scheduled pool roof replacement quickly escalated into a project that would cost between $3 million to $6 million, if we were to also fix the structures that hold the roof in place.

That’s a significant investment and it has prompted us to ask if we should spend that amount of money on a facility that’s coming to the end of its life. The life of a pool would typically be about 50 years and that means the pool tanks only have about another 10 years.

It is possible to extend the life of an asset but over time things change, like building standards and peoples expectations. The expected function of a facility is as much a driver in determining end of life as the condition of the asset, or in this case the pool. While it has served the community well, the Matamata indoor pool is not able to provide the same experience as modern pools. The outdoor dive and toddler pools are the oldest in the facility and this has also led us to look at what is needed in the longer term. Whatever we do to address the current issue is going to require a big investment and we need to weigh up all of the options.

To gather information and assess the options will take time, and we want the community to be involved as we work through what the future is for Swim Zone Matamata. The heated indoor pool will be back in action for summer after it has undergone a transformation into an outdoor pool. The roof will be removed in coming months and the pool painted when the overnight temperatures start warming up again. We’ll also take the opportunity, while the pool is empty, to carry out routine leak repairs.

Realistically we could be without a dedicated indoor pool for at least a few years but we are committed to providing an all year swimming option for the community. The heated outdoor pool would normally continue to operate throughout the winter months but we have also filled and heated the dive pool. While the outdoor pool usually sits around 28 degrees for the comfort of those wanting to train, the dive pool is a cosy 29 degrees and this is where our aqua classes and swim school are being held. It can be a challenge maintaining those temperatures but the Swim Zone Matamata team are constantly monitoring this so pool users enjoy their experience. The outdoor changing rooms are also in use and are heated.

Shortly we will be moving the pool reception from the carpark entrance to the Meura Street side gate.

A covered walkway will be built between the Meura Street reception and the outdoor changing rooms. As there won’t be an indoor option for sometime we believe a small investment to provide some comfort for outdoor users is needed.

New Zealand learnt a lot from the Christchurch earthquake and as a result the building standards were changed. When compared to today’s building standards, the whole support system that holds the Swim Zone roof in place is considered earthquake prone.

This situation is challenging because we are balancing the legal requirements with our moral obligations. Legally, if a building is found to be a priority (or high risk) building after detailed seismic assessments then the owner has 12 years to carry out improvements. This timeframe would suggest we could continue to operate a facility as normal, however, we believe the community would expect public buildings to be compliant, We acted quickly to close the indoor pool due to the deteriorating roofing structure also being earthquake prone.

We are also conscious that other organisations are affected by this. We have a squash club, gym and swim school also operating from the facility and we do not want them to close as result of this. The Laing Swim School’s learn to swim programme has been affected and we are continuing to look at ways we can help. Investigations are also underway to find out if removing the indoor pool roof will help reduce the risk level for the rest of the facility’s structure, and if any strengthening can be done to improve the squash area.

These are not long term options but are intended to give the gym and squash club time to make decisions about their future. The gym can relocate quite quickly, but we are very mindful that squash requires a purpose built facility and we’re working with the club to consider it’s options.

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