AT last Wednesday's meeting, council decided its priorities for the upgrade of the Wauchope Pool.
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Much to the disappointment of the Wauchope Indoor Heated Pool Committee, a majority of councillors - including myself - resolved 7 to 2 to focus on refurbishing the existing 50m Olympic pool rather than building a new 25m indoor heated structure.
I thought before the meeting that we might benefit from additional consultation to guide the decision. However after hearing all the information it seemed to me that the decision was self-evident.
Council has known for some years that the existing pool needs major rehabilitation of both its structure and filtration system.
Over recent years, council has applied for four separate grants which would have permitted both refurbishment of the existing pool and erection of a new indoor heated pool.
Unfortunately, and despite promised support from local members, none of those applications have been successful.
Last Wednesday, council decided it could not significantly delay refurbishment of the existing pool any further: either the 50m pool should be decommissioned and replaced with a new 25m pool, or the 50m pool must be given priority for available funds.
The limitations of a 25m pool are that it would not accommodate the same numbers of users as the 50m pool, and it definitely could not accommodate the diving board.
The present estimated cost to upgrade the 50m pool and its filtration system is $2.05 million, while the estimated cost of a new 25m indoor heated pool is $3.19 million.
For an additional approximately $250,000, council also resolved to pursue installation of a solar heating system for the 50m pool, complete with night blanket.
This sort of heating system is already in operation at Port pool, and stands to give Wauchope pool an extra 2-3 months on the annual swimming season.
Council's decision does not end all hope for a lap-length indoor heated pool. It just means that council's immediate priority is to maintain the existing 50m pool.
The proposed work will utilise $1.348 million which has been held in a Wauchope Pool Reserve since the sale of Timbertown.