Wyndham council’s leisure centre reached maximum capacity during last week’s extreme heat for the fourth time since reopening its doors seven months ago.
Locals trying to escape last Wednesday’s 42-degree heat queued outside AquaPulse – newly renovated at a cost of $54.4 million – for up to an hour waiting for other patrons to leave to gain entry after the centre reached capacity about noon.
Patrons were encouraged to go to the Werribee outdoor pool, but that also reached capacity about 4pm.
Both facilities were downgraded to “near capacity” at 6pm.
Wyndham Leisure Services marketing and membership manager Sam Benfell said AquaPulse members were still able to enter the centre during the maximum capacity period because the centre management always ensured “there is a buffer left for our members to gain entry”.
Star Weekly invited locals to share their experience via the Star Weekly Facebook page last week.
Asma Amir, who waited an hour to gain entry into AquaPulse on Wednesday, praised staff for looking after the patrons waiting at the front of the centre.
“We had a very good experience,” Ms Amir wrote. “The AquaPulse team is really good – they gave free water bottles to all those who were waiting outside and they provided shade area.”
Another woman, who preferred not to be named, said she was not surprised the centre had reached capacity considering the extreme heat came during the school holiday period and the area’s growing population.
“Safety of patrons at pools is always a priority because if it exceeds capacity then drownings can potentially be missed by our wonderful lifeguards,” she wrote.
A couple of people took the council to task for spending $54.4 million to renovate the former Wyndham Leisure Centre.
“Instead of wasting squillions on AquaPulse, they could have built three pools in Werribee and surrounding areas,” Ype Albertus Zee wrote.
“Maybe not as fancy but more practical.”
