Gloucester Olympic Pool is a shining example of creative thinking and strategic planning.
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At a recent meeting of the Hunter Region of Councils (HROC), MidCoast Council’s Rob Griffiths, manager governance, and John (Tad) Parish, pool and active recreation manager, shared their knowledge about how to run a pool more effectively.
Formerly from Gloucester Shire Council, Rob and Tad were part of the 11 local government councils of the Hunter Region, working together to network and share best practice. The Sport and Recreation Task Force section of the group get together a few times a year to brainstorm ideas and hear from industry leaders. Aquatics was the topic at the meeting recently hosted by Gloucester.
Rob and Tad presented ways they had reduced the running costs for the olympic pool without reducing service levels, like closing unnecessarily. In an interview after the meeting, Rob told the Gloucester Advocate how ideas like harvesting rain water for backwashing the pool instead of buying water and training juniors in bronze medallion to support full time lifeguards were ways to reduce costs while remaining compliant.
“We found ways to remain complaint without spending a heap of money,” he said.
Rob and Tad spent time looking into the science of how to keep the lifeguards highly trained and ready for any emergency. They mapped out blind spots caused by the sun’s glare on the water at different times during the day, and coupled that with an understanding of where the high risk areas are. This allows the staff to plan where they stand for best viewing during their rotations around the pool and where to concentrate their time.
There’s also a focus on training, ensuring staff are able to react to emergencies based on instinct. They conduct three monthly training session practising different scenarios. The lifeguards, kiosk operators and some times local ambulance staff join in on the hands-on sessions.
The presentation was well received by the other councils.
“They all seemed really keen on the ideas,” Rob said, with some asking for information after the meeting.