The survey will form part of a feasibility study commissioned by the trust, supported by Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand and the Dunedin City Council.
The council has supported the project by offering aquatic advice.
The therapeutic pool was closed in May 2021, after the failure of a heat exchanger.
Otago Therapeutic Pool Trust secretary-treasurer Neville Martin said over the past two years, the trust had received a lot of feedback from Dunedin people saying they valued the physio pool and wanted it to reopen, or a new facility built.
"They say since the pool closed, large sections of the community haven’t been able to rehabilitate from surgery or injury adequately or exercise in a therapeutic water environment," Mr Martin said.
"We want the community and stakeholders to tell us whether they support the provision of a hydrotherapy pool in Dunedin and, if so, which of three options they prefer — upgrading the physio pool, building a new like-for-like replacement pool on a different site or building a new pool on a different site with additional features such as a gym, physiotherapy services, steam room, spa pool and cafe."
A modern, fit-for-purpose hydrotherapy pool was a big investment and because it would be used by a wide range of needs and abilities, community and stakeholder feedback was important, he said.
The trust would consider feedback from the survey and complete the feasibility study by early next year.
"Depending on recommendations from the feasibility study and trust decisions, the next steps are securing a site, fundraising, then detailed design and construction."
The trust expected these steps would take several years to accomplish and involve further public consultation.
Dunedin’s only therapeutic swimming pool, able to be heated to about 35°C, had been a valuable component of recovery from surgery as well as for people with disabilities for many years, he said.
The survey closes on November 24.
— Staff reporter
