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2002 (c) Peninsula Community Access Newspaper Inc
Sixties' result today
The main purpose of this letter is to demonstrate that the Gosford Council can spend $20 million of our money in 2003 and achieve a 1967 result.
In the early 1970s, the Woy Woy swimmers club and the councillors agreed that the existing and then heated outdoor 50 metre pool (built in 1967) was unsuitable for learn to swim, beginner squads and did not encourage adults to swim for health and exercise.
This unsuitability was and still is caused by its varying depth.
A building committee made up of swim club officials and councillors designed an indoor training pool of six lanes, 25 metres long capable of being heated to 29°C or 30°C in the colder months.
The depth chosen throughout was one metre to negate the unsuitability of the outdoor 50 metre pool.
The training pool was built mainly with funding by the Federal Government's Red Scheme and was opened in December 1976.
Over the years, it has proven to be an outstanding success with aqua rehabilitation and aquarobics also being added to its many uses.
This training pool is to be demolished and will be replaced by an indoor 50 metre pool of varying depth which will cause the same unsuitability as our current 1967 model 50 metre pool.
The existing hydrotherapy pool came about because the demand for this type of therapy had exceeded the training pool's capacity and the wide range of injuries and disabilities being treated required safety measures and a constant temperature of 34°C.
The late local member Tony Doyle was instrumental in our obtaining a high quality pool with a reasonably quiet environment and the correct temperature of 34°C.
This pool opened in July 1997, is to be demolished and replaced by a similar sized pool which will be placed alongside a family leisure pool.
There appears to have been little or no regard paid to the need for the hydrotherapy pool to have a reasonably quiet environment.
If the councillors insist on spending $20 million of our money, let's get it right and not go back to the past.
David Casey, Ettalong Beach
John Chivers, Woy Woy