Subj : Carterton community aim to swim 1 million metres to save pool To : All From : News Person Date : Mon Mar 11 2024 01:37 pm The Carterton community is aiming to swim one million metres this month in a fundraising effort to save their indoor pool. It's the only indoor facility in South Wairarapa and it's in a deteriorating condition, with structural, rust and ventilation issues, Carterton Indoor Pool Project lead Anna Beetham told 1News. "The pool building has now come to a point where it's reasonably unsafe our young swimmers," she said. The target is to raise $1.7 million to build a new facility to surround the pool, which itself remains in a good condition. "There's quite a bit of rust that falls into the pool," 13-year old swimmer Scarlett Wadham said. "It's very muggy in here and hot and it's a little bit hard to breathe, but it's not that bad, but it could be better." She's set herself a hefty goal for the Big Swim fundraiser. "I'm trying to swim 100k [kilometres], I've swum 31k and I'm swimming the Cook Strait, English Channel and Taupo. "I've done the Cook Strait which was 23. I'm doing English Channel, which is 34 and then Taupo, 40, all this month." Organisers estimate over 700,000 metres have already been swum and over $67,000 has been raised so far. "People have come in, they're swimming their lengths and then they're getting funding or people are sponsoring them. "We've had a couple of really big donations from anonymous donors which has been amazing and then our local sponsors and things as well," Beetham said. Anyone around the world can participate by making an individual Givealittle page and sending organisers records of the lengths they've swum, or by financially supporting the effort, she said. "We ideally just need some way of recording it so Strava or something like that, then they can email or send the link through." While the outdoor pool complex is owned by Carterton District Council, the indoor pool is owned by Carterton Swimming Club but is situated on council land. For the council's outdoor complex, admission for the public is free, but for the indoor pool the public can book lane time from the club. Swimming lessons for the public and schools are held year round in the pool. People visit from around South Wairarapa to walk or swim lengths of the pool. The pool is also used for rehabilitation after an injury. "We've got to do everything we can to keep them open," swimmer Ruth O'Brien said about community pools. "I mean we've got an aging population and everybody's getting hips replaced and knees replaced and they all use this for rehab." Carterton Mayor Ron Mark said councils are facing cost pressures, particularly small councils like Carterton, but some community projects should still be supported. "There are some things that some people in the community do that are invaluable and we would be lost without that," he said. "I'm hopeful the rest of my council will listen and if not one budget, maybe there's going to be a few budgets over the time that this money's raised and I just like to think that my council will recognise the value here and support it. But you know, got to go through the process." --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A44 2020/02/04 (Windows/64) * Origin: S.W.A.T.S BBS Telnet swatsbbs.ddns.net:2323 (63:10/102) .