MOUNT Gambier Aquatic Centre will be given a facelift sooner rather than later with City Council announcing a $1.7m refurbishment of the 34-year-old 50-metre outdoor pool.
Not falling under state or federal government funding as part of the $39.1m community and recreation hub project, City Council chief executive Andrew Meddle said the revamp would be funded through council’s long-term financial planning.
Not falling under state or federal government funding as part of the $39.1m community and recreation hub project, City Council chief executive Andrew Meddle said the revamp would be funded through council’s long-term financial planning.
“The works will not significantly impact on council’s financial position but will improve its asset sustainability ratio,” Mr Meddle said.
“The latter is of importance as it demonstrates the council’s commitment to replacing things before they wear out as well as continuing to invest in its existing infrastructure and the hub project.”
As part of the standalone project, the pool will be lined with a steel surface, as well as an additional liner which is planned to sit within the existing concrete shell.
The outdoor pool will be connected to the new heating, filtration and pump system proposed for the future indoor facilities, which is expected to reduce maintenance and will enable the redeployment of the wood burner to an alternative council site.
The revamp will also see the swim deck level lifted, allowing the pool depth to increase and enable diving at both ends with detachable diving blocks on-site for future competitions.
“If you have a 50m pool you want to be using it for recreation as well as racing,” Mr Meddle said.
“The current pool does not meet those standards to allow for that to happen therefore the upgrades will allow attraction for racing events to be held here.”
Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin agreed with Mr Meddle, stating the facility will bring “economic value” to the city.
“By having event tourism like this here in Mount Gambier it attracts people from around Australia to our city and creates a significant economic benefit,” Ms Martin said.
Ms Martin said the facility upgrades “make sense” from an economic point of view as the funding originates from council’s asset funds.
“Refurbishment was already in the budget some 10 years down the track,” she said.
“We have the finances available in our asset management plan to allow for the refurbishment to be done now without putting any strain on council finances.”
The decision follows a special council meeting earlier this month where discussions surrounded five separate confidential items relating to the future recreation hub.
“The matters were addressed to provide certainty for the architects as they work towards finalising the detailed design of the hub,” Mr Meddle said.
With one report outlining the condition of the existing outdoor facility Mr Meddle said what has become clear that without improvement works the pool will look in “poor relation to the community and recreation hub” which would then not be compliant with the contemporary standards.
The refurbishment is expected to increase the life of the pool by around 15 years and is foreshadowed to start at the end of next year’s season.
