The Glenorchy War Memorial Pool will reopen today, more than three years after it was shut down over electrical faults and a leaking shell.
The first swimmers will hit the water at 6:15am after a public competition was held to choose the 25 people to get the first dip in the refurbished pool.
Glenorchy mayor Sue Hickey and Sports Minister Nick Duigan will carry out the official reopening at 10:30am.
The pool in Hobart’s northern suburbs closed in July 2023 after inspectors found electrical faults, structural problems and a shell leaking around 35,000 litres of water a day.
It was Hobart’s last outdoor public swimming pool.
The closure devastated locals and a Facebook group set up to save the pool drew more than 1,100 members within weeks.
Former mayor Bec Thomas said at the time the council had “no option but to keep the pool closed”.
She later warned the facility could close permanently, saying the business case was “not particularly strong” and fewer than 100 people used it each day on average.
More than 89% of voters backed the pool’s reopening in a 2024 elector poll.
The state government put in $5 million for the repairs, with the council adding another $1.5 million, taking the project to around $6.5 million.
The work is expected to extend the pool’s life by five to seven years.
The reopening will come at a cost to ratepayers with running of the revamped pool costing about $700,000 a year, a figure the council says helped push its 2026-27 rate rise to 5.4%, up from the 4.95% first proposed.
The council is still pushing for more than $80 million to build a full modern aquatic centre.
Entry will be free this weekend before costing $7.40 for adults, $5.90 for children and $2 for non-swimming adult spectators.
A community pool party will run on the Saturday from 10am to 2pm.
