The Leichhardt pool temperature saga drags on into its third year as connection of electric heaters misses deadlines announced by Ipswich City Council last year. Local resident and pool customer Liz Tindle-May joins the show after making her own complaints to council about the extraordinary period of time it has taken to connect power. Published: 5 April 2023. Music: www.purple-planet.com Image: Division 3 councillors Marnie Doyle and Andrew Fechner with local resident Ken Alderton at Georgie Conway Leichhardt Community Swim Centre (Ipswich First) Questions to council from Ipswich Today: 1. Have the new electric heaters been turned on? 2. If not, when does council realistically expect the heaters to be turned on? 3. How many weeks/months since the gas heaters were disconnected? 4. Did council have a contingency plan to cover any delays with electrical connection? 5. What has been the water temperature during this extended period with no heating? 6. What impact has the lack of heating had on attendance numbers since the gas heaters were disconnected? 7. Has council made an effort to communicate with residents/regular pool users with updates on the delays? 8. Any other comments council wishes to add. Response: Please attribute to an Ipswich City Council spokesperson: Last year Ipswich City Council committed to replacing the inefficient gas heaters in the Georgie Conway Leichhardt Community Swim Centre outdoor 25-metre pool with new electric heaters. This followed strong community feedback that the water temperature in the pool needed to increase from 29 to 32 degrees – the ideal temperature for hydrotherapy. The new electric heaters were installed in December but have not yet been switched on. There has been a longer wait than expected for utility provider Energex to reconnect the power supply to the new electric circuit board. The latest update from Energex has set an expected date of 13 April for the power supply to be connected. In the meantime, the pool has been heated by solar, and has maintained an average 30-32 degree temperature, depending on weather conditions. While it’s unfortunate we haven’t been able to turn the heaters on sooner, council is pleased to have a likely date for switching these heaters on just in time for the colder months. Council understands it has been a frustrating wait for pool users to get to this stage. Pool attendance figures have remained consistent throughout the past five months and are in line with the same time period the year prior. Progress updates on the installation of the electric heaters have been posted to the council’s Civic Projects Map, available online. Council is looking forward to having these new electric heaters switched on and for Ipswich residents to be able to complete their hydrotherapy in comfort during winter and all year round. Ipswich City Council: www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/

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