Community members raised concerns about Mitchell Shire Council’s outdoor pool operational hours on Facebook last week with some criticising the decision not to open until 3pm on hot days.
Mitchell Leisure Services three outdoor pools are a service provided free to the public from the first of December until the end of the Labour Day weekend each year.
During the summer months the pools open according to the Bureau of Meteorology nightly weather report released at 4pm daily – the temperature trigger to open the pools is a forecast of 26 degrees.
Opening hours may be adjusted in response to extreme weather events with the Mitchell Leisure Services Facebook page posting updated hours during extreme weather.
Mitchell Shire chief executive Brett Luxford said the daily opening times were based on maximisation of usage.
“As the outdoor pools are provided as a free service to the public, they must be well utilised when open to ensure value to the community,” he said.
“We will continue to these times to ensure we’re meeting the needs of the majority of the community as efficiently as possible.
“Mitchell Leisure Services has conducted benchmarking with similar regional pools and believes that service provision is equal to surrounding regional councils.”