Warm Thank you

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 8, Issue 376, 5 March 1991, Page 6

Warm Thank you

• Through you I should like to thank the people who gave so generously towards the Ohakune Baths Heating funds and to tell them what is happening to their money. The total amount collected was $1263.14 which is now deposited in the Ohakune Trust Bank in the name of the Ohakune Swimming Club but in a separate account. It wasn't long before we discovered that five large elements had to be replaced at a total cost of $758.69 which included switches and labour. The Ruapehu District Council kindly paid $500 leaving us $291.00 which is GST inclusive. That subtracted from the amount collected left $972.14. GST deducted from that left $851.61 for actually heating the baths, so once that is spent, it is up to the R D C whether or not there will be any further heating. There were two unfortunate incidents when power was wasted. The first involved a large water valve being left on for several hours so that dirty, cold water from the stream displaced the lovely clean warm water. I mention this only because the story went round that vandals were to blame and that is just not true. There was been no vandalism since the heating began and up to the time of my writing this, unless one could call the spell of unfriendly weather and act of vandalism! The timing of the second incident was most unfortunate as it oc-

curred the day before the Ohakune Primary School swimming sports when a small leak developed into a large leak and the warm water was lost. Next season I suppose the leaks will have to be sealed before any further heating is even considered and also "something" will have to be done about the fact that when the power goes off for any reason at all and then comes on again, the elements at the baths unfortunately stay off! But if the donors and members of the R D C could have seen the happiness of the children, and the improvement in their swimming, especially the little ones, on the days when everything went well, they would know that their efforts and generosity were not in vain.

June

Bates

Ohakune