Pool politics at Mernda Regional Sports activities and Aquatic Facility

By Colin MacGillivray

FORMER Metropolis of Whittlesea Mayor Lawrie Cox is afraid the $180 million Mernda Regional Sports activities and Aquatic Facility will grow to be a white elephant, expressing doubts about council’s potential to fund its building and ongoing upkeep.

Mr Cox, who was a member of council till its dismissal by the State Authorities in March 2020, stated a enterprise case for the Lots Highway facility authorised by directors ultimately month’s council assembly was ‘not sound’ as a result of it relied on $80 million of exterior funding.

He stated the mission would cripple council’s potential to ship sports activities infrastructure in different elements of the municipality.

“Establishing a pool is just not merely a click on of the fingers, it’s a reasonably costly train,” he stated.

“What the earlier council was involved about was that the price of one facility was going to asset strip all different areas. The price then was talked about as $113 million, and it’s now come out at $180 million.

“You may’t construct different amenities if you happen to’re pouring all the cash into that.”

The enterprise case, ready by Deloitte Australia, recommends the mission be delivered in three phases, with stage one – web site institution and detailed design – already underway.

Stage two contains the development of six indoor sports activities courts and eight outside netball courts, together with detailed design for aquatic and leisure elements, and is about to start in 2024-25.

Stage three includes constructing a 50-metre pool and several other different health and leisure swimming pools, together with a health club, a spa and sauna, and consulting suites. Building on stage three is slated to start in 2027-28.

Mr Cox expressed doubts the state and federal governments would come to council’s help with funding pledges for the power within the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, there was some election commitments to recreation centres at each a state and federal degree within the lead-up to respective elections.

However Mr Cox stated framing the power as a regional centre was ‘garbage’ and council ought to prioritise different sports activities amenities forward of swimming.

“After I was a councillor we had 5000 individuals in search of court docket area for netball and basketball. You don’t have that form of demand for swimming, and I’m saying that as a previous Swimming Victoria president and previous Swimming Australia board member,” he stated.

“I don’t oppose courts being developed there, as a result of we do want these kinds of amenities, however we additionally want them in different elements of our municipality.

“The Epping North-Wollert space is growing way more quickly in inhabitants measurement than Mernda. Folks in that space are beginning to say ‘the place are the neighborhood sports activities amenities up right here?’ There are none [planned] for the subsequent 10 years.

“We additionally want renewal on amenities in areas additional south like Lalor, Thomastown and Bundoora.”

Mr Cox stated the long-term upkeep of the power would drain council assets.

“I’d dearly love a pool, don’t get me fallacious, however … the continued prices are horrendous. I used to be concerned within the building of [the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre], and the continued prices there are large,” he stated.

“We didn’t even use the pool that [former Premier Jeff] Kennett constructed utilizing cash from the on line casino. There was an out of doors pool that made an amazing duck heater however wasn’t used for a lot else.”

Metropolis of Whittlesea chair administrator Lydia Wilson stated staging the mission would unfold the fee over a number of years, guaranteeing council may proceed to ship different infrastructure throughout town.

“We’re a rising municipality, and we have to be sure that we are able to meet the wants of communities throughout our established, new and rural areas – each now and in years to come back,” she stated.

“To ship this mission we have to safe the assist of the federal and state governments and we’re strongly advocating to each ranges of presidency to contribute vital funding to ship this much-needed facility.”

Ms Wilson stated council had endorsed $48 million for the supply of stage two, contingent on securing further exterior funding of $40 million.

Administrator Peita Duncan stated the mission wouldn’t compromise council’s potential to ship infrastructure.

“Council is at the moment growing its Lengthy-Time period Group Infrastructure Technique to make sure now we have a pipeline of neighborhood infrastructure initiatives able to ship over the subsequent 20 years,” she stated.

“The technique will likely be underpinned by a number of ideas, together with fairness of infrastructure throughout council’s established, progress and rural areas.”