Pool teething problems are thing of the past (From Western Telegraph)

Pool teething problems are thing of the past

9:20am Saturday 27th June 2009

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Dear editor

I would like to respond to the letter from Trish Thomas (Western Telegraph, June 17th) expressing her disappointment with the new Haverfordwest leisure centre.

The popularity of the facility when it opened did catch the council by surprise and for a time it struggled to cope with the huge numbers of visitors involved — almost 17,000 in the first two weeks.

This did affect the swimming pool timetable but it has since been readjusted to reflect public use. The timetables for the various pools are on two sheets and the times for public admission are consistent each week.

Yes, there have been difficulties in setting the pool temperatures. The contractor is fully aware of the issue although it is taking longer to resolve than we would wish.

Because of heavy use, the queues at reception have, at times, been long. However, a third till has now been installed to fast-track customers. Subsequently, waiting times have reduced.

A number of locker keys did go missing because customers were not returning them. New keys were ordered but took longer to arrive than anticipated. They are now back in stock.

With any new facility — and especially with one offering such a wide variety of sporting activities as a leisure centre — there is a period of ‘bedding-in’ .

The vast majority of users are delighted with the centre and the opportunities it offers, but inevitably there will be times when certain individuals will not be able to access the pool when they want.

Councillor Rob Lewis,
Cabinet member for cultural services, sport, leisure and tourism,
Pembrokeshire County Council.

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