Armidale Hospital has shut the city’s hydrotherapy pool indefinitely.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And there is no guarantee it will ever reopen.
Hunter New England Heath announced the closure on Wednesday, citing ongoing water quality problems.
The decision has sparked an outcry from the community who say the pool is a vital and well-used service.
The facility is primarily to rehabilitate hospital and physiotherapy patients.
But private users, including elderly and learn-to-swim groups, also depend on the pool and may now need to find a new location for their activities.
It's a double hit for water lovers in Armidale after SportUNE announced its pool would close for more than a year, after it suffered a major failure with the plant equipment.
SportUNE management said the ageing condition of the equipment now called for a replacement rather than a partial repair.
“This work will be significant and time-consuming, and the pool will have to be closed throughout 2017 and possibly into 2018,” they said.
Ian Forrester, 89, and his swim group of 14, are regular users of the hospital’s hydrotherapy pool.
He said the pool was a critical asset to the whole region and needed to be protected.
“It’s a political bloody problem and it’s been a political problem for five years,” he said. “The hospital don’t want it there.
“They’ve tried to close it many times.”
But the hospital’s pool manager and head of physiotherapy, Gemma Model, said the decision to close the pool came from her and her team.
“This has been an ongoing problem and we have got to the point where we simply cannot keep the pool open,” she said.
“Public health regulations dictate the parameters that we must comply with and they are very stringent.
“The actual regulations do have some leniency for older pools ... but despite that, we’re just not getting there.
“They have got tighter and tighter over the years and we just don't have the infrastructure.”
The hydrotherapy pool is almost 40 years old and was built and donated to the hospital by the Armidale Lions Club.
The facility ran without issue for many years, but its ageing infrastructure has meant more regular closures and maintenance in recently.
The Lions Club has provided much of the ongoing support and funding to maintain the facility since its was donated, including buying a new pump and automatic chlorinator.
Lyndon Hardman is a past president of Lions and a 50-year veteran of the club.
He said theclub had not received any information from Hunter New England Health and only learned of the closure from the media.
“I have never heard of a water quality or filter system complaint until this week - ever,” he said.
“We have tried to find out what’s going on and we’ve been fobbed off at most approaches.
“We have some provisional funds available to us and we are committed to maintaining the pool.
”But we need to know what’s going on.
“It’s a facility that is used not just by people in Armidale but by the entire region.
“If needed, I'm sure we could get the support of Lions International and all the Lions clubs from around the region too, as their communities also benefit from the service.”
Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall also said he had received no information from Hunter New England Health.
“I’m shocked and surprised by the news,” he said.
“I still haven't been approached by the hospital manager, Wendy Mulligan.
“If there is a need for assistance, I am more than happy to contact the minister.
“But I have not been asked or approached or even received a phone call about this.
“I would also urge Hunter New England Heather to consult with the Armidale Lions Club.
“They paid for and build the pool and they have funded improvement works at the pool ever since.”
Ms Model had worked at the hospital as a physiotherapist for more than 20 years and she said no one was more committed to fixing the problem than her.
“We are working on it and, as soon as we have a solution, we will contact groups like Lions and Rotary who are interested in helping.”
Engineers and specialists have already inspected the facility and more are expected view it next week.
”Various specialists have been engaged to provide advice on how we may be able to rectify this issue,” Ms Model said.
“Until this is complete, we do not know how long the pool will be closed and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
“All I can say is that we’re doing our very best.”