A STEP FURTHER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 215, 20 September 1940, Page 5

A STEP FURTHER

OHOPE SWIMMING POOL INSPECTION OF SITE Members of the County Council works committee met those interested in the O'hope swimming pool proposal yesterday morning and after visiting the silte and discussing the scheme | very fully undertook to report ' back to the council favourably provided the formation of a local Domain Board was found to be a practical possibility. Mr F. Mahy who has sponsored the proposal for the past year outlined his idea of erecting a pool some 60ft. long and a depth of 2%ft. He was prepared to find the total cost and had interested persons willing to attend to the maintenance. The site is on the main headland of the central picnicing ground and slightly to the north of the Surf Cl'ub pavilion. With Mr Mahy were Rev. Laughton, Messrs G. Mahy and C.. Kingsley-iSmith. The whole position was fully discussed by Mr J. L. Burnett (County Chairman) pointing out that while the council riewed it favourably from a personal standpoint,, members nevertheless feared the liability of possible accidents and the cost of maintenance. He rather favoured however the suggestion of Mr Mahy's that a Domain Board be formed at Ohope for the purpose of accepting the responsibility for the reserve and its future improvementsMr McGougan was also in favour, describing it as the practical solution to the position. The County Clerk pointed out, that in the event of the council agreeing to the suggestion, it had then to be approved by the Government and in view of the fact that the council was already constituted a Domain Board for the purposes of administering the balance of the j Ohope reserves, it was fairly certain I that it would not agree to two Domain Boards in the same area. It then appeared from this explanation that unless the suggested Board was prepared to take over the care and custody of all the Grown areas at Ohope, there was a silght possibility of it obtaining the rights over the ; central reserve upon which it was desired to erect the pool. The matter will be discussed at the next council meeting and in the event of a favourable conclusion, steps will be taken to call a special meeting of Ohope residents for the purpose of electing the Domain Board which will take over the county's responsibility in connection with the land under review.