However, the Otago Therapeutic Pool Trust said there were many laps to go, before it could be reopened.
Trust secretary-treasurer Neville Martin said no timeframe had been given by the SDHB for practical completion of the work.
In the expectation the broken equipment would be fixed eventually, Mr Martin said the trust had been paying the wages of its lifeguards, even though there was no work for them, but it could no longer afford that.
"As there is still no timeframe for completion of the remedial work, the trustees have had to make the difficult decision, as of last Friday [August 20], to cease paying the lifeguards ... and make them redundant.
"The trustees hope that when the pool is ready to reopen, the lifeguards can be re-employed if they are available."
He said the trust had asked the SDHB at its latest board meeting, to agree to a waiver of a major portion of what the trust paid towards the SDHB’s operating costs.
This would allow the trust to become financially viable in the short term while it continued fundraising for pool upgrades.
"Upgrades are essential and urgent as equipment is failing and the pool is developing a dilapidated appearance.
"They will achieve savings in operating costs and make the pool a safer and more welcoming place to exercise."
At this stage, the SDHB had made no decision about the waiver, he said.
"This is likely to be weeks and possibly months away.
"Without this waiver or an alternative short-term solution, the trust will not be in a satisfactory financial position to reopen the pool when the remedial work on the broken equipment is completed."
Mr Martin said the trust and the SDHB would also have to address the issue of the energy source for heating the water for the pool.
The coal-fired plant that services the hospital and the physio pool at present, was likely to close down about 2028, he said.
"The trustees remain committed to advocating for the pool and the therapeutic benefits for its users."
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Comments
Many school pools have been forced to close because of OTT health and safety regs that put them unaffordable. Many were available for local community use.
Elf-n-safety is out of control, resulting in contradictory messages. For health we need more exercise. For safety children need to learn to swim. To save fossil fuels don't drive more than absolutely necessary, take public transport - to Moana Pool? An expensive family treat.
The physio pool is on bus routes in a flat part of town.
Therapeutic non-weight-bearing exercise is the difference between health and disability for many people.
For others it is a quiet un-threatening place to swim for physical and mental health. Is its unimportance with regard to funding anything to do with the fact the people who use it are not training to become elite sports people, representing Dunedin or even NZ? Look at the amount spend on other sports facilities!
Falling between "sport" and health, the physio pool is left to fall between the cracks, nobody's responsibility, till demolition by neglect solves their problem by it falling over altogether. DCC and SDHB must stop shuffling responsibility to volunteers.