9PM UPDATE:
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SWIMMING coach Wayne Gould believes a lack of stability with managers is causing problems at the Albury Swim Centre.
The Albury Swim Club mentor was commenting after the centre opened more than four hours late on Thursday morning due to high levels of chlorine in the pool.
“They haven’t got a routine, they haven’t got a schedule,” said Mr Gould, who on Thursday had to abandon his early morning session with 35 students.
“They’ve got one manager that comes in and then they shuffle them off to another pool.
“If they were to have one go in there for a month that would stabilise things.”
Mr Gould and his charges were in their clubrooms doing a warm-up when an employee of pool contractor Aligned Leisure said there was a “mechanical” problem.
Aligned Leisure Ben Tudhope later told The Border Mail a fault with the pump system saw chlorine levels hit risky levels to human health after the centre’s closure at 9pm on Wednesday.
“We couldn’t open the pool...because we didn’t want people to injure or hurt themselves from harmful chemicals,” Mr Tudhope said.
He said it was the second time this season there had been such a problem, although the other instance involved various factors.
Mr Gould said he did not know whether problems with overchlorination would improve through having a more stable management, but he believes it would help.
He said sessions had previously been delayed by the lack of lifesavers and that on one afternoon occasion a manager could not find a key to a roller door to access diving blocks.
It emerged the previous administrator on duty had taken it home to Wodonga, so swimmers had to wait for it to be collected before they could practice starts.
Mr Tudhope said swimmers affected by Thursday’s closure had been offered free entry to the Wodonga and Lavington pools in lieu of not being able to undertake their exercise at Albury.
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11am THURSDAY:
DANGEROUSLY high levels of chlorine in the pool at the Albury Swim Centre resulted in the site opening more than four hours late on Thursday morning.
Swimmers arriving for the regular 6am opening at the pool were greeted with a handwritten sign on the main gate.
It read: “Due to unforseen (sic) mechanical issues we will not be open until 7am minimum we apologize (sic) for the inconvenience – management.”
After that time elapsed another sign was posted repeating the reason before stating “the pool will not open until further notice”.
Eventually the pool opened after 10am with a further notice declaring it would be ready for use at 10.30am.
A manager for the pool operator Aligned Leisure Ben Tudhope said that a fault with the pump system meant chlorine levels had risen to risky levels to human health following the aquatic centre’s closure on at 9pm on Wednesday.
“We couldn’t open the pool this morning because we didn’t want people to injure or hurt themselves from harmful chemicals,” Mr Tudhope said.
The level of chlorine had to be gradually reduced before the pool could be deemed safe for usage.
Mr Tudhope said morning swimmers affected by the closure had been offered free entry to the Wodonga and Lavington pools in lieu of not being able to undertake their exercise at Albury.