Roxburgh residents appear split over whether to hand over the keys to their community pool to the Central Otago District Council.
There was little consensus as people from the township spoke to their submissions on the council’s long-term plan on Thursday.
The plan’s consultation sought public feedback on the idea of the council taking over the two-year-old Ida MacDonald Roxburgh Community Pool Punawai Ora.
Rick Kristel, a long-term member of the committee that oversaw the pool’s completion, told the mayor and councillors operating the pool was proving too much for a group of volunteers.
He said the committee struggled to recruit enough lifeguards to staff the complex which posed a safety risk for users and a liability risk for those in charge.
To cover health and safety obligations the committee had introduced a document to be signed by pool users outlining supervision rules, but Mr Kristel knew firsthand the system was an unreliable safeguard.
‘‘I can come in and just be checking the plant room, and people are on their cellphones.
‘‘They have young kids in the pool.’’
He said people did not realise how quickly things could go wrong and a child ‘‘could be at the bottom of the pool’’.
If committee members were aware the rules were not being followed and the worst happened, they could be answering to WorkSafe.
Mr Kristel said the pool was not getting enough use and that was ‘‘a real disappointment’’.
The council overseeing pool operations would shore up access for all, he said.
However, another long-term committee volunteer cautioned against the speed with which the existing pool committee was considering throwing in the towel.
Helen Pinder said the proposition from the committee came ‘‘out of the blue’’ with ‘‘no warning or consultation’’.
Ms Pinder, now retired from the committee, told the council there were people in the community willing to step up and take ownership of the pool’s operation, and they needed to be given a chance.
‘‘With all the best policies, advice and training in the world there’s always a chance someone may be negligent and it’s one of the universal risks of doing business.’’
Accidents happen, she said, and the committee had done its ‘‘absolute best’’ to mitigate that.
It was Ms Pinder’s view ratepayers could not stomach the burden of having the pool’s operating costs on the council’s books.
Mayor Tamah Alley said it was not up to the council to take the pool out of community hands and the discussion centred on whether ratepayers wanted the council to step into the role if asked by the committee.
However she appeared to agree with Mr Kristel that, ‘‘the age is gone where people can just come and take personal responsibility’’.
