Work is scheduled to start behind the scenes at Graham Condon in September, and the pool hall will close from early January 2024 to approximately mid-April 2024.
The gym and sports halls will remain open throughout this time.
Christchurch City Council’s Head of Recreation, Sport and Events Nigel Cox says the pellet boiler water heating system will be replaced with electric heat pumps, and the water filtration system will also be replaced.
“This work will improve energy efficiency and water quality, while ensuring that the heating and filtering systems continue to function optimally long-term. We’ll also perform general maintenance work, as part of our planned, regular maintenance schedule of our city-wide recreation centres,” Mr Cox says.
“While the work won’t make the pool hall look significantly different, it is essential for maintaining the facility to a high standard and helping to prevent unscheduled shutdowns.”
Several considerations were factored into the timing of the closure.
“We have scheduled this work to happen over the summer, when our outdoor summer pools are open so they are available for the community to use, in addition to the indoor pools at Jellie Park, Pioneer, Taiora QEII, and Te Pou Toetoe Linwood Pool.
“This timing also means that some of our staff at Graham Condon can be redeployed to the outdoor pools, and our school groups are only affected for Term 1,” Mr Cox says.
“Our team has facilitated bookings for schools at alternative centres and kept all customers informed about what’s happening and the options available to them.”
Contractors will begin initial preparation work in September, while the pools remain open.
“To provide access for contractors and construction offices, some carparks will be reduced, but this will be minimal. We’ll ensure customers have priority access to the carparks closest to the entrance,” Mr Cox says.
“We want to thank everyone affected by this disruption for your patience and understanding. Provided that everything goes to plan, we look forward to reopening this much-loved pool centre in mid-April 2024.”
Graham Condon Recreation and Sport Centre opened in October 2011 and underwent a significant refresh in early 2020, closing for three months over summer to perform repairs and refurbish various utilities.
Impacts of the planned pool closure at Graham Condon
- Customers with a Pool or Gym and Pool membership or pool multi-visit pass can use any of the Council-owned pool facilities.
- Members can also request to freeze their membership during the closure if they prefer.
- Gym and Pool members can downgrade to a Gym only membership - provided they have been a member for over four weeks.
- Swimsmart customers have the option of taking lessons at an alternative pool or freezing their Swimsmart membership.