PUBLIC SWIMMING BATHS

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3613, 15 March 1927, Page 3

PUBLIC SWIMMING BATHS

PLANS APPROVED BY COUNCIL

At last night’s Borough Council .meeting Mr. 11. Edwards, Civil Engineer, submitted a plan of the baths to be erected on Easton Park and in doing so said that subsequent to a consultation" with the Mayor and the Town Clerk, he had taken the levels and measurements preparatory to designing a swimming bath for Foxton as per instructions on the 15th January 1927 and on the 16th February 1927, and he now imported as follows: —•

The site is on Easton Park on the south west side of the drive approximately 25 feet back from the.shrubbery* and close to the line of the first row of trees running parallel to an iron fence on the bank of the Awahou stream. The waste water from the bath will be discharged into this stream, the water will flush the stream and ip so doing will greatly improve the existing conditions. The bath will be 35 feet wide by a length of 75 feet built of reinforced concrete and of the varying depths shown on the plan commencing at three feet six inches for [he convenience of children. The bath will be lined with a special water proof plaster- which will finish a glossy white smooth surface; this scheme will obviate the necessary and unusually very expensive lining with glazed .tiles.

There will he two sets of moveable steps into the water made of composite material, these steps can be moved Out of the way when competitions are being earned out. There will be a drainage channel 'counter sunk into the walls near the top of the bath which wifi serve the dual purpose for overflowing the hath when necessary and form a convenient hold fast for swini-

iners. The waste water will pass through an iron grid elose to side of the hath wall, where shown on the plan, and be discharged into the stream hy means oJ: a Gin. (Hasted pipe controlled hy an iron valve placed in a concrete valve pit shown on the plan. The concrete surfaces will be . drained as .also will he the many appointments and finally pass into an elaborate system of drainage provided for bv 4in. glazed pipes; the position of which is shown mar-, ked, in red lines on the plan. The ' water to be disposed of consists of splashy, showers, utrKnail, overflow and rain water; the w.c’s waste will go direct into the town sewerage/ system in 4in. glazed pipes, the sewer being approximately 54 feet from the 'bath. I have given a great deal of attention to question of drainage as I find that most baths are incomplete in this respect resulting in undesirable conditions. The water for the bath will bo supplied by means of a 4in. dia. steel pipe 244 feet long and controlled with an iron valve placed close up to the bath wall, the 'bath may be tilled wholly or partially through this pipe; on the street side of the din. valve there will be a 2in. galvanised iron junction pipe which will also be used for filling purposes, for instance the 4in, valve will be opened according to the capacity of the town supply and simultaneously the supply will be through the 2in. pipe. The 2in. pipe will lead the water up and over the front part of the roof of the building which will be a 'concrete slab made water-proof and •sprayed over the surface by means of a perforated pipe. I find that on an average warm summer day the water in the Foxton borough pipes shows a temperature of 62.5 degrees fab., and the temperature against a wooden surface in the sun is approximately 104 degrees fah. The effect of passing the water through the 2in. pers forated pipe on to the slab of concrete will firstly raise the temperature quite four or five degrees thus it will ibe seen 'that the water in the bath will 'be approximately 68 degrees, this will be a eomforable and satisfactory temperature tor swimmers.

Secondly the passing of the water through the rays of the sun and the atmosphere will largely eliminate the. carbonic acid gas, which the artesian water 'contains. Another effect will be to soften the water.

I may add that the Foxton town water will lmve a very pleasing appearance in a white lined bath and will be improved in colour by aeration.

I consider the Foxton water superior to the water used in most of the. baths in New Zealand, it will be pleasant to bathe in and invigorating to the bather; I only know of one place where the water is better for the purpose which is at Rotorua and this is considered the finest in the country.

The front portion of the building will he of reinforced concrete and the balance of corrugated iron and sides with wooden partitions, the cubicles will contain all the usual conveniences including seats and clothes pegs, etc. I propose to have moveable seats at both ends of the bath for spectators during exhibitions ; these can be taken clown and stored away when not in use. There will be spring boards and water shoots, etc. The floor of the building will be approximately 14in. above the general level of the surface of the land. This arrangement of the available fall to the water level in the Awahou will place the outlet pipe approximately 3 feet above the level of the water in the stream which ■will be a satisfactory arrangement.

It would appear that the spoil will have to bo deposited in a hollow at the fear of the Council Chambers. After discussion the plans were opproved and Mr. Edwards was inapproved and Mr Edwards was indetails in connection with the baths.