At its public forum, the board heard the concerns of Port Chalmers Swim Club co-presidents Libby Caldwell and Lisa Dick, along with club member Caro Timms, who drew the board’s attention to ‘‘community speculation’’ that the future of the Port Chalmers Pool might not be secure.
With the Dunedin City Council’s Annual Plan and funding deliberations looming, the club representatives were keen to secure the West Harbour Community Board’s support for the pool.
Ms Caldwell said the Port Chalmers Pool was affordable and accessible for swimmers of all ages, and was the only access to swimming available for many local families.
‘‘The pool is a safe local place for young swimmers to build confidence and it is also a community hub,’’ Ms Caldwell said.
She pointed to an Otago Daily Times report last week which highlighted that Port Chalmers Pool had recorded a 19% increase in visitors from the previous season — 4975 visitors for the 2025-26 season, up from 4160 in 2024-25.
The pool is now closed for the winter season.
Ms Dick said Port Chalmers Pool was a vital community resource, ‘‘not just a nice to have’’, and was used by everyone from young children to the elderly.
West Harbour Community Board members asked a range of questions and were generally supportive of the pool, undertaking to look into the situation.
Port Otago
Port Otago chief executive Kevin Winders gave a presentation to the board covering a range of topics of interest and highlighting progress on several projects at Port Otago.
Mr Winders told the board that the new boundary fence and wider footpath from Port Chalmers to Boiler Point had now been completed by Port Otago, as part of the Railpad project.
‘‘We are very pleased that this work is complete, as it will make it safer for people to walk in the area and provides access to the toilet,’’ he said.
Mr Winders also told the board that Port Otago had made a fast-track application for its planned Mosgiel Inland Port, and hoped to have the project consented and to get building work under way before Christmas.
Once an inland port was established, it would mean more railway movement of freight and fewer truck movements on State Highway 88, he said.
Mr Winders highlighted Port Otago’s concept for a Back Beach Marina, saying the port had built an amenity beach for cruise lines, but believed the development of a proper marina and jetty for ferry services would be positive for the area. The concept had been put to the DCC, and he would be interested in hearing the board’s thoughts.
Mr Winders also shared a Port Otago proposal for a ‘‘scenic route’’ extension to the current cycleway to continue around the coastline to the port — which would reduce risk for local cyclists and add amenity for cruise ship passengers.
In his presentation, Mr Winders shared with the board that Port Otago had offered $20,000 towards the removal of a large tree hanging over Macandrew Rd, above power lines and near the port fencing, which was unbalanced and posed a moderate risk of causing significant damage.
Finally, Mr Winders returned to a previous debate between Port Otago and the board, regarding the shifting of the pedestrian crossing from the corner of Beach St and George St to further along Beach St for safety reasons.
Board members asked Mr Winders a variety of questions and undertook to consider his report as part of its Community Plan discussions.
General business
The West Harbour Community Board then moved on to discuss a variety of matters of general business, including the need to hold a community workshop to discuss its Community Plan.
It also discussed the Governance Support Officer’s report, including plans to make a submission on the DCC Annual Plan.
As its regular meeting place, the Rolfe Room at Port Chalmers Town Hall, would be occupied for its next two meeting times — on June 10 and August 12, the board undertook to seek alternative venues for those meetings.
