On Tuesday evening in Nairn Academy at their last meeting before the merger with Suburban CC the Westies had the subject of the paddling pool on the agenda:
Councillor Michael Green said:
"The maintenance is becoming more and more onerous and we are coming up to making a decision on the paddling pool. I would like to make this decision as part of a wider plan of what the ideas are for the Links. In the interim we have to address this because we don’t want to go through what we did – emergency repairs and the thing closed. My own preference is, I think this harps back to what is happening with James* and the putting green. We currently commission Highlife Highland to carry out the putting from basically the swimming pool. James has very kindly offered to run the putting and that is something that is under consideration. I’m very supportive of that. It’s costing the Common Good to pay Highlife to carry out this function – if James can do it then it is beneficial for him and it is beneficial for the Common Good.
"The maintenance is becoming more and more onerous and we are coming up to making a decision on the paddling pool. I would like to make this decision as part of a wider plan of what the ideas are for the Links. In the interim we have to address this because we don’t want to go through what we did – emergency repairs and the thing closed. My own preference is, I think this harps back to what is happening with James* and the putting green. We currently commission Highlife Highland to carry out the putting from basically the swimming pool. James has very kindly offered to run the putting and that is something that is under consideration. I’m very supportive of that. It’s costing the Common Good to pay Highlife to carry out this function – if James can do it then it is beneficial for him and it is beneficial for the Common Good.
The second part is the pool maintenance. The pool is such a size that it needs daily supervision. If we can get it slightly smaller and enhance the facility, which we wish to do, we don’t want to make it down to something that is just for washing your feet in. We wish to have a sizeable paddling pool and an enhanced facility. I think it is essential that we have the paddling pool there. [...] It’s pretty straight forward, it needs a very substantial base and I think it needs appropriate material and paint put in. I’m very much in favour, the Common Good is now starting to accumulate money and I think we should invest in an enhanced facility - we need to decide this with consultation over the next few months and just crack on and get that in for next spring. "
Brian Stewart of West CC then said: “I think it is a brilliant move that Liz and now you Michael and others have actually put this out for public discussion and for debate. There’s a huge variety of views as to what is good and what is bad. The good thing is that at least we are having open public discussion about what we think we want, whether or not we can afford it, before the decision is taken that was what went wrong with the big slide saga; where it was sprung upon us from a clear blue sky and people reacted very badly. I think it is actually very good and very helpful that we should have a debate with lots of different views.
*James at the Kiosk.
4 comments:
I'd have no problem with James at the kiosk running the putting green, but isn't there a touch of irony here in that the kiosk used to be staffed by the council to run the putting green! I know the line of sight isn't that great but perhaps if James were given a pair of binoculars he could also be the life guard for the paddling pool?
It’s positive that some of our councillors are publically talking about the paddling pool, and hopefully as in the case of the big slide we won’t awake one day to the sound of builders demolishing the pool
What I don’t understand is the glaring lack of facts and figures being presented. Liz MacDonald inferred that costs were difficult to extract from the council database, is this still the case?
Michael Green makes mention of a reduction in size so that a lifeguard isn’t needed, but how big/small would the pool then be?
Until these points are addressed I see little point in the on going discussion, as it can be little more than speculation
during the major refurbishment, couldn't the pool be divided in to 2 halves, then each half would not require a lifeguard and the costs are reduced.
If the paddling pool is only to again be open for a few days during the summer in 2016, maybe only one half could be open at any one time. Save on lifeguard costs and overall as 2 times one half is a whole, the paddling pool would be open the whole season.
I'm certain there might be other combinations of daft solutions. I'd like some real consultation with us residents when options are scoped out. After all we vote representatives at CC and Councillor levels, but these are representatives. Big in your face matters such as public facilities should have the opportunity for consultation. Not decision making by masses, but simply consultation.
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