Pool closure angers

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 28, 8 December 1987, Page 1

Pool closure angers

The Rangataua School Committee were to meet last night for their last meeting for 19-87 with one of the main items on the agenda being to try to resolve the dispute over the school pool. The committee decided at their November meeting to close the pool over the Christmas holidays and outside normal school hours. This decision has angered some Rangataua residents, who feel the pool should be made available to the Rangataua community. The Bulletin was unable to contact a willing school committee spokesperson however, we understand that one of the reasons the pool would be closed was to protect it from hooligans. Rangataua residents have h a d experience with people causing willful damage to the swimming baths that used to be operated in Mangateitei Road. Another possible reason is that there may be

inadequate facilities for opening the baths to the public. The pool was not open to the public during the summer school holidays of 1986/87. There was no opposition to the closure at that time. The Bulletin published a letter last week from an Ohakune resident who has children that attend Rangataua School. Rosalleen Morris said the move to keep the baths closed was greeted with amazement and dismay by parents. "Hard work and fundraising by members of the community should have ensured a pool the community could all use," she said. Mrs Morris said feelings of frustration and anger have prompted action by some parents, in the form of a petition. Parents have volunteered their time for supervision of the pool out of school hours if need be, to keep the pool open. It is Education Board policy to allow respective school committees to run school baths as they see fit.