Sign In
or Create a new account
Do you have a view on the best way for recreational swimmers, club swimmers and lap swimmers to share the 25m and 50m pools?
Currently, the swimming clubs are provided with exclusive access to the 50m pool each week day evening for two hours as well as exclusive times on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and some time on Saturday and Sunday mornings. During these times, the 25m, and other, pools will be available for public use.
The centre also caters for public lap swimmers by providing designated lanes in either the 50m or 25m pool for the use of swimmers who wish to swim laps rather than splash about.
This online discussion forum has concluded. You can still browse the site but the discussion area will no longer accept new comments or votes.
Comment 1 29 Nov 2008, 12:28 PM
A white board at the entrance with a map of the pools would be a good way to let the public know where and when they can swim. As each swimming club comes in they can write in the corresponding lanes where they will be swimming and when they will be leaving. The swimming clubs need set access to the pools and the public need to know where and when they can swim. This information needs to be clear to the clubs and the public and the times adhered to. I don't have a problem with the clubs having heaps of time at the pool. The public can be intimidated by one of the clubs sometimes swimming in public time.
Comment 1.1 1 Dec 2008, 6:31 PM
I think that a white board at the entrance is a good idea. It may give potential swimmers a clearer understanding of activities that are taking place or about to start that may affect their plans. It may also alleviate some of the tension that exists between swimming clubs and public swimmers.
Comment 1.1.1 3 Dec 2008, 10:33 PM
The white board idea is a good one providing it is a large one and kept constantly up to date.
There is no need for tension between clubs and public if one pool (probably 25m, & thats ok) is available for social swimmers so that we don't have to swim in the rough wake of many other swimmers in training when we have no alternative but to swim at the same time on occasions. It can be very uncomfortable
Comment 1.2 9 Dec 2008, 3:41 PM
Please explain what you mean by "The public can be intimidated by one of the clubs sometimes swimming in public time." Is this one club in particular? What do they do that is intimidating? If a particular swimming club is not following the rules they should be named and shamed.
Comment 1.2.1 28 Dec 2008, 9:31 PM
I don't really want to name people Tone. The problem lies in the poor signage. It should be made clear to the public which swimming club is swimming where, and the time they are leaving. If they decide to stay longer, they can swim as members of the public and share the lanes. My whiteboard idea could work if given a trial. If the swimming clubs don't write on it-the public can swim wherever they want to.
Comment 1.3 16 Dec 2008, 10:25 PM
Forget the whiteboard, everyone needs to know what is happening and when, BEFORE they make a decision to go to the pool at all...why would you want to disappoint your kids by promising a visit to the pool, only to get there and find out that half the place is closed or unavailable or something similar, that is only going to cause the angst and issues that have occurred for the past 5 years or so. Council needs to promote the session times public has the pool complex to use (should be every hour it is open) and run and promote decent programming to encourage public to use the pool. The swimming clubs need to work around the community useage not the other way around.
Comment 2 1 Dec 2008, 6:42 PM
The three swimming clubs are trialling (for three weeks)a system where they share the 50m pool for two hours of an evening between 5:30pm and 7:30pm.
This leaves the 25m pool, slide pool, baby pool and toddler pool vacant for public swimming but no access to the 50m pool.
I think that a fairer system would be if between the hours of 5:30pm and 7:30pm the 50 m pool was divided in the following manner:
- one club has lanes 1, 2 & 3;
- public have lanes 4 & 5 for lap swimmers;
- Second swimming club has lanes 6,7,8;
- Third swimming club has half of the 25m swimming pool.
With the clubs rotating and each club using both the 25m and 50m pools.
This would mean that the public have access to the 50m pool on during swimming club training sessions for lap swimmers as well as half of the 25m pool, slide pool, baby pool and toddler pool
Comment 2.1 2 Dec 2008, 9:41 PM
The best way to run the pools is if one pool is always available to the public, either the 50m pool or the 25m pool. No problem with the swimming clubs occupying the 50m pool for 2 hours, as long as the 25m pool is free. Same goes for the 25m pool. If someone books that one, the 50m pool must be left free. Only one exception - Learn to Swim. They should be allowed to book the whole 25m pool and one lane of the 50m pool. As an ex-Learn to Swim teacher, you need the deep water to complete the kids' swimming education, or even to make progress with tall kids.
Comment 2.2 9 Dec 2008, 3:44 PM
spot on Kym,
I know that 2 out of the 3 clubs actually proposed this arrangement to council as a more fair and eqitable distribution of pool space. However, council in their wisdom elected to ignore them (as usual).
Comment 3 2 Dec 2008, 12:50 PM
I agree with Kym about times and lanes for both public and swimming club users to have time after work/ before dinner in the 50m pool. After all, all ratepayers have paid for it. As a lap swimmer I much prefer swimming in a 50m pool.
But also the use on Saturday and Sunday mornings needs to be addressed.
8am -10:30am is just right in summer, before the heat and not too early. Surely there is now no reason to close the whole facility for a club. To get people to use the pool it has to be open for everybody. The concern about overweight and obesity in all age groups should also prompt longer opening hours. Of course this might exclude the slide if this will require more staff than can be paid.
Closing it winter afternoons when the day has just warmed up enough to go swimming must be based on some false assumption that everyone has an interest in football.
Comment 3.1 9 Dec 2008, 3:46 PM
there is no reason that the public cannot use the 25m pool on Sat/Sun mornings as the swimming clubs would only be interested in the 50m pool for their pointscore events.
Comment 3.2 18 Jan 2009, 2:17 PM
I absolutely agree with the public requiring time during the evenings to swim laps. However, the clubs each need exclusive access on Saturday/Sunday mornings to conduct point-score events as without exclusive access we cannot dive.
Comment 4 3 Dec 2008, 12:02 PM
Adequate space must be provided for all users, particularly in the larger poolbe they lap swimmers, swimming club or simply recreational users.
Good visible signage, not a whiteboard, needs to be displayed setting out times, conditions and area/s that can be used, needs to be displayed,...and kept up to time/date!
Comment 4.1 3 Dec 2008, 9:22 PM
The trouble with having 'good visible signage' is that it is not flexible. A whiteboard can be adjusted as necessary. The public need to know where they can swim and when.
Comment 4.1.1 29 Dec 2008, 8:15 PM
The times shouldnt have to be flexible, they should be set times everyday.
As well as good visable singage, these times need to be printed in the local paper each week, and put in with the council news/updates so then everyone can see them and then plan to go to the pool, not get there and be disappointed when they find out the times have changed to suit the clubs needs.
Comment 4.1.1.1 2 Jan 2009, 8:59 AM
Yeah, you're right. My whiteboard idea was really about the swimming clubs organising themselves.
Comment 4.1.1.1.1 18 Jan 2009, 2:13 PM
These are all wonderful ideas. The clubs would be fine with set schedules for summer and winter. Their needs do not change very often.
Comment 5 4 Dec 2008, 8:50 PM
There is no way the pool should be closed to the public for swimming club training purposes... the pool is a public pool for ALL people to enjoy at any time, This previous management of closing the pool to the public for exclusive training for swimming clubs singlehandely killed off many pool visits for many families...as it was never really publicised well when it was open/closed. Maybe that was the plan...but it failed.. a new pool has been built and now there should be no issue with sharing a large facility, if council cannot manage this properly... get an organisation that knows what they are doing to run the pool....
Comment 5.1 18 Jan 2009, 2:09 PM
I agree with you that it is a public pool and that all should be able to use and enjoy it. However, the swimming clubs do require exclusive use of the 50m pool during certain times.
The majority of the "families" you talk about are not visiting the pool to swim laps, they are visiting the pool to splash around and have fun. Therefore, the 25m pool is well and truly adequate if the clubs are using the 50m pool.
I do agree with you on clearly publicized times. I also agree that council has significant management problems. However, outsourcing to another organization could result in higher entry costs as well as lower safety standards (ie. less lifeguards).
Comment 6 2 Jan 2009, 6:02 PM
I have used a larger metro pool where a triathlon club (approx 35 member squad) and a swimming club (approx 40 size squad) both used the pool as their training ground and this was done AT THE SAME TIME AS NON SQUAD SWIMMERS. Mon Wed and Fri was the triathlon club 5.30am to 7am, Tue and Thur 5.30am -7.00am plus Saturday morning 7am to 9am for the swimming club. The 8 lane pool had all lane ropes out from 5.30am to 8.30am and 4 of the lanes were designated to the squad (hired by the clubs and fees paid accorindgly). more…
Comment 6.1 18 Jan 2009, 2:02 PM
Thank you for being one of the first to back your opinions up with solid fact. Intelligent people like yourself are desperately needed here.
Firstly, we have three squad swimming clubs (rather than a swimming and a triathlon club) which does make it harder to keep everyone happy.
Secondly, I am assuming that the swimming club you refer to also trains during the evening. This would be much easier for the pool operator to facilitate as there is only one club demanding time. If not, I doubt it is a very competitive club whereas the three local clubs have all more…
Comment 7 4 Jan 2009, 8:27 PM
I DONT BELIEVE SWIMMING CLUBS SHOULD BE ALLOWED EXCLUSIVE USE OF THE 50 METRE POOL AT ANY TIME. EVEN WORSE WHEN THEY TAKE OVER THE LAP SWIMMING LANES AN HOUR BEFORE CLUB TIME
Comment 7.1 18 Jan 2009, 1:32 PM
Firstly, why not? There is plenty of time outside of club hours for you to use these new facilities.
Secondly, any club that is 'taking over' the lap swimming lanes before club time should be reported to the council for breaching their usage agreements.
Thirdly, please turn the caps lock key off, it makes you sound like an illiterate baby.
Comment 8 15 Jan 2009, 11:01 AM
Paul deLisio might have consulted with the clubs but he didn't seem to take any notice of the public!It seems that the Council has ignored most of the comments in this section by giving the swimming clubs exclusive use of the 50m pool between 5:30-7:30pm. He might say it's only a small period but it is a time when a lot of people might like to go swimming after work on a hot day. And swimming in a 25m pool isn't the same!
Comment 8.1 18 Jan 2009, 1:39 PM
The council (Paul DeLisio included) did consult the public and did take those responses into consideration. However, there is not a lot council can do. Broken Hill now has three active swimming clubs that are all asking for time in the 50m pool during the afternoon/evening. What do you suggest council do?
Comment 9 30 Jan 2009, 10:31 PM
As a recreational swimmer and resident of Broken Hill, I'm appalled that the Swimming clubs dominate the 50m pool every night during the week. It would seem 'fair' that recreational users get to use the pool, for whatever reason, atleast 1 night per week.
early evenings is the oly time i have availiable after work, the the 25m pool, i feel, is not sufficient