The team at Kirkcudbright Swimming Pool is looking to take over the town’s caravan park.
And the community-fun facility hopes doing so will secure its future in the face of rising energy costs.
Kirkcudbright Development Trust (KDT) has a lease from the council for Silvercraigs caravan park and a management agreement with the pool to run the site in return for a share of the profits.
But increased operating costs have led to pool manager Colin Wyper looking for a bigger slice of the pie – or even taking over the lease in its entirety.
Mr Wyper told the News the pool currently receives 10 per cent of the caravan park’s profits.
He said: “The management agreement was made up before costs went through the roof. Things have changed and we need the extra money desperately.
“We have roughly £50,000 a year extra heating costs. Biomass pellets have more than doubled – we’re paying £4,500 a month just for biomass pellets.
“We have money in the bank, which was left to us years ago by a Mrs Berry, which was for a major disaster such as a crack in the pool tank.
“If we have to dig into our reserves, within three or four years that money will be all gone and we’ll be in an even worse state as we’ll have no money reserve and the pool may have to close.
“Our board made an offer to the trust to say we want the lease, but if we can’t get it, we’ll go 75 per cent profit to the pool and 25 per cent to the KDT, which they are going away to discuss with their full committee.
“If we can get the money everything is fine, if we can’t then we’ll have a problem.”
The development trust took over Silvercraigs from the council in 2017 and two years later agreed a 25-year lease at the cost of £1 a year.
However, Mr Wyper, a former councillor, claims the lease was never signed and there is no legal document to confirm the
deal.
He has been distributing leaflets letting people know about the plan to take on the caravan park.
Mr Wyper said: “For the trust to take 90 per cent of the profit and leave us with 10 per cent is not acceptable.
“Nothing is as important to the town as the swimming pool, especially in a harbour town as kids need to learn to swim.
“If we get the lease we can take what we need for the pool, the rest we can put into a pot – maybe to the KDT for people to apply
to.”
“The council is working on the lease. It got delayed due to Covid, but the council is working on it.”
