Council decision on The Pool 28-Jun-11

"Blackheath pool's opening hours will be cut back next season despite a boost in numbers during extended opening times last summer."  BM Gazette 29-Jun-11

FoBP&MP comments on this BMCC decision below (see Business Paper Item 9 28 June 2011). 


As Emeritus Prof. Ian Lowe* stated last January on Late Night Live “...this is the strongest La Nina ever recorded”.  Wet weather necessarily pushes down patronage at any outdoor facility. But this is not taken into account assessing Blackheath Pool patronage in BMCC's Report.  It would be interesting indeed to compare patronage stats at other outdoor BM pools!

Sure enough, in the upper mountains, December 2010 was the wettest in 15 years, and the trend continued across the season with 19 rain days in January, 16 rain days in February, and 22 rain days in March. 

Sad summer weather aside, February patronage vastly INCREASED over the previous year.  The bulk of that was middle-of-the-day visits. These are BMCC's own statistics: in 2010 there were 706 individual February visits, in 2011 there were 3099!  That’s a more-than-300% increase.  And this was once summer school holidays has finished.  You couldn’t ask for better!  But this too is missing from the report.  Overall there’s a small increase in income despite appalling weather.

It may have been wet, but it was also warm. For the record – this unheated, outdoor The Pool was warm & pleasant – lap pool peaking at 29 degrees on February 1st.  It can’t be emphasised too often that Blackheath Pool is WARM all summer long!

For Council to seek to cut-back community facilities in an area of socio-economic disadvantage seems anathema – we fail to see how this is “Looking after people”!!

All in all, we note a remarkably successful season given weather & congratulate BM Leisure Centres Staff & Management success.

* Professor Lowe ids President Australian Conservation Foundation; emeritus professor of science, technology and society at Griffith University on ABC RN’s Late Night Live 24-Jan-2011

***Please consider leaving your comments online on the BM Gazette article "Extended pool hours rejected" 29 Jun, 2011 11:14 AM BY KRYSTYNA POLLARD
(previous article is "Extra Blackheath pool visits cost council" 23 Jun, 2011 12:12 PM )