The popular Jellie Park and Pioneer Recreation and Sport Centres are set for an upgrade and repairs project starting in December.
The revamp will get underway at Pioneer on Monday 4 December and at Jellie Park on Monday 11 December. Phase one will be carried out in stages over the next 18 months.
Both Pioneer and Jellie Park suffered minor damage in the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. The Council carried out engineering assessments at the time that showed both facilities were safe and could remain open to support the community in the post-quake environment. However, the Council has decided it is now time to carry out the remaining earthquake repairs in tandem with work to upgrade the facilities.
Council Manager of Western Area Recreation Nigel Cox said while there would be some disruption for people in the short term the work would be well managed and was definitely necessary. Pools will be repaired and the indoor hydroslide will be replaced at Jellie Park. Pioneer’s wave chamber will also be repaired and there will be improved air conditioning in the pool areas at both centres as well as refurbished changing rooms and improvements to the fitness areas. Repairs and improvements will include fixing cracks, painting and repairs to flooring, walls and ceilings as well as upgrading fire systems and replacing wet area flooring with a non-slip hard-wearing material. The work at Pioneer will start in the pool area and at Jellie Park the first project will be the spa, sauna and steam room.
Phase one of the work is expected to be complete by December 2019. Work on Jellie Park’s sport pool and re-roofing work on both facilities is planned when new pool facilities will be available at QEII Recreation and Sport Centre, the planned Hornby Library, Customer Services and Leisure Centre and the Metro Sports Facility.
Pioneer and Jellie Park will remain open overall while repairs are carried out but some areas will be closed in stages. Any facility that is closed at Jellie or Pioneer will be open at another centre, and recreation and sport members are able to use other centres at no extra cost. From 4 December 2017 when the pool area at Pioneer is closed the opening hours at Te Hāpua and Waltham Summer pools will be extended to 6am-8pm Monday to Sunday. It’s possible the Swimsmart programme will be affected at times by the repairs but centre staff will keep people informed of any changes.