At the February meeting of the Murrumbidgee Shire Council held last week councillors unanimously voted to reimburse 2009/10 season-pass holders 40 per cent of the total charge.

This means that people who had purchased a family pass will receive $60 back in their pockets.

The decision to reimburse patrons arose after the forced closure of the pool on December 8 for a period of six weeks during the hottest time of the year.

The total cost to council to reimburse season tickets is estimated to be $3000, which will be paid directly from council and not the pool lessee.

It was stated in the council business paper that at this stage the problems that occurred at the pool were not the fault of the lessee and therefore the lessee should not have to bear any cost of the rebate.

A full report was also presented to council on the pool closure including the actions that were taken to ensure the re-opening of the facility.

It was reported that the pool has now been completely re-sealed and a complete overhaul of the filter system has taken place.

There is no final costing available of the entire operation at this stage.

Along with sandblasting and re-sealing the pool, 11.5 tonnes of sand had to be replaced in the filter, all pipes within the pool’s recirculation system and pool heater were flushed to remove paint sediment and the grounds of the pool had to be cleaned of all equipment, spent soda and paint.

A quote to sandblast and re-seal the pool alone was given to the shire in 2009 of $45,770 and this, along with over $5000 in sand plus the other work and hours put into the operation, is expected to create a considerable and unexpected cost for the Shire.