Students at South Hunsley School and Sixth Form College in North Ferriby, UK, along with citizens of its surrounding communities, were saddened to learn that the Hunsley Trust Board of Directors has decided to close the secondary school’s pool.
The facility, which was built in the 1960s and is presently used by both the community and students, was deemed obsolete, with the Trust citing a cost of more than £250,000 (~$390,000) to renovate. Richard Swain, chairman of the Hunsley Trust said, “We have considered all options for the future of the swimming pool, but in light of the report commissioned by the board of directors, we can no longer see capital investment in the pool as a feasible option.”
The academy has invested in short-term repairs, such as a new liner and equipment upgrade, but the board says that the pool is now in need of ‘fundamental repairs and replacement work.’ As such, the report commissioned by the school reported that “the cost to repair the known defects also far exceeds the entire annual budget for resources for the curriculum at the school and sixth form college, and as a result, we have no choice but to close the pool at the end of the school year.”
The pool will be closing at the end of the academic year and in its place a new sports and dining edifice will be constructed, aiming to be completed by September 2017. You can read the school’s official statement on the pool study’s findings and decision to close here.
Kids are expensive buggers.
It is sad to see facilities like this closing. The 2012 Olympic legacy is over, and the headache begins.