A $95,000 one-off sponsorship deal means solar panels will replace a 90 year old coal and diesel boiler at the new Roxburgh Pool.

Contact Energy has repurposed money from cancelled events, such as the Epic mountain bike race and the Alexandra Blossom Festival to support the pool project.

Hydro asset manager Rick Kristel has tinkered with the old diesel and coal system”‘to keep the pool alive” for the past few years, but despite these efforts the pool was unable to open last summer. 

Contact Energy spokesperson Leah Chamberlin-Gunn said Contact was thrilled to be able to support such a worthwhile community focused project.

“Simply Energy (Contact’s subsidiary) will implement an ongoing billing and metering system which will enable the pool to use the solar output over the summer and then it will be sold by Simply in the winter back into the grid,” she said. 

“The profits are then gifted back to the pool. This approach would ensure that for the life of the system, the community would receive significantly reduced admission costs to the pool.”

Leah said changing to solar will save 24.7 tonnes of carbon a year (equivalent to the carbon emitted from 1,741 one-way trips between Roxburgh and Queenstown every year in an average petrol-powered car).

Local company Simply Energy will provide solar panels to increase efficiency of the new pool. PHOTO: Supplied

A community-led campaign for pool covers is also gaining momentum.

Roxburgh Pool Punawai Ora ‘Safe Water’ chair Sally Feinerman said the group has reached 85 per cent of its first fundraising goal of $22,000. 

The money will buy pool covers for the learners pool and main pool to extend the swimming season and keep heat in the water.

“We’re stoked with how the campaign is going,” Sally said.

“I was at a coffee meeting… and one of the memories we had was of growing up swimming at the pool and how cold it was… for the next generation, they’ll have a nice warm pool to enjoy.”

A bake sale was held on Friday with baking donated by the Roxburgh community. 

“Another $900 [came] from the bake sale on Friday afternoon outside Supervalue,” Sally said.

The next fundraising target is $64,000, which would fund the main pool cover. 

“We want to keep it going… people are still donating. They can give as much or as little as they want.”

The online boosted sport campaign runs until Wednesday July 6. 

The proceeds from a fundraising dinner at the Roxburgh Golf Course will also go towards the covers. Tickets are from the I-Site for the July 1 event. 

Sally said item donations are needed to auction on the night, and firewood raffle tickets could be bought from Pinders Motors. 

In the past year the community has raised $2.7 million towards the new pool.

Watch a video about the new pool campaign here.