The Grey District Council has agreed to heat the Spring Creek Pool at Runanga, saying the $1 million facility is well worth the $30,000 investment.
The council has come under fire as the Greymouth aquatic closure for roof repairs, has ballooned out from 10 weeks to at least 25 weeks, possibly stretching into March 2018.
That has forced swim schools to cancel classes, and sent other swimmers to the nearest available public pools, at Hokitika and even Reefton.
Runanga pool is currently unheated and too cold to open. It is due to open on December 2. The pool temperature is currently 18degC, and the council wants to get it to about 22degC before opening.
A heat exchange pump will be installed, hopefully before Christmas, after a proposal from Crs Anton Becker and Cliff Sandrey.
The equipment will cost about $21,000 and $2000 a month in power bills.
It means the temperature will be up to where it should be from opening day, rather than waiting until January.
"It's a $1 million asset, it will get a lot more use," Cr Becker said,
"The school will use it a lot more," Cr Sandrey said.
However, chief executive Paul Pretorius sounded a note of caution about moisture inside the complex. The humidity is already high in February and the heated water will add to this.
"It would be 40degC in there some days, it's incredibly hot," Cr Murray Hay said.
Council staff said adding an extra fan to the roof may help.
The heat exchange pump means theoretically the Runanga pool may be able to have a longer season, although with added costs.
There were also concerns that when another pool in New Zealand added the system, it came in at closer to $30,000.
The council considered other ideas for heating the pool, including a pipe cluster, but there were concerns about whether this would work on such a scale. It is also more effective on sunny days.
Solar was another idea but the Runanga pool roof is not angled in the right direction. Also, there were concerns about the extra weight on the roof.
It was agreed to increase the budget to $30,000, to come from reserve funds.
