Council transfers over Sheffield Memorial Pool to community-run legal entity

The Selwyn District Council voted in favour of transferring the Sheffield Memorial Pool to Kowai Pass Reserve Trust, a community-run legal entity, to take over the ownership, operation, and maintenance of the local swimming facility, at yesterday’s Council meeting.

The decision was made after an extensive consultation process with the local community and wider district, which included 181 submissions and 15 oral presentations with 95% in support of transitioning the asset.

“The Sheffield Memorial Pool is an ageing asset at the end of a serviceable life that requires a level of investment that is hard to justify for Council, considering the relatively low usage, but the local community has been clear that they do not want to lose their pool and are willing to step up,” says  Denise Kidd, Executive Director, Community Services & Facilities.

The Council will now work through the final legal terms for transferring the facility to the community group and support the group to develop a structure to raise the funding, manage the refurbishment of the pool, as well as the future maintenance of the Sheffield Memorial Pool.

“It has been a long process to get to this point, and we hope this council decision will be the start of a new lease of life for a treasured community asset,” says Kidd.