The Whakatāne Aquatic and Fitness Centre will be closed to the public from Monday, 2 July until Sunday, 8 July while its annual major maintenance programme is undertaken.

Whakatāne District Council Aquatics and Recreation Manager Lee Colquhoun says the facility shutdown will allow activities required to meet the Centre’s Poolsafe accreditation to be completed. Planned works include treatment and pump system upgrades and servicing, together with the emptying and cleaning of all pools.

“Aquatic Centre staff appreciate that this will cause some inconvenience for regular customers, but it is a necessary part of our Poolsafe compliance and facility maintenance activities,” he says. “We’ll be working hard to get the work programme completed and the pools refilled and heated to a comfortable temperature, ready to reopen as usual on Monday, 9 July.”

Fitness Centre operations will also be closed to users. Membership fees will not be charged during the week-long closure.

The Aquatic Centre reception area is also scheduled for redevelopment later this year, with planning underway to have the work programme completed with minimal disruption to users.