Related: Leisure centre faces its last dance
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Demolition will begin this week on the Kangaroo Flat Leisure Centre despite an 11th hour appeal by a former Bendigo mayor for councillors to protect the “beloved community centre”.
Long-serving former Eaglehawk representative Willi Carney sent a letter to City of Greater Bendigo councillors last week calling on them to consider alternative plans for the new $30 million aquatic centre at Kangaroo Flat.
“Why would you demolish a building worth about $4 million when you can change the facade, modernise it and make it work with the new pool?” she said to the Bendigo Advertiser.
“A petition of 3000 signatures and 82 per cent of respondents to a questionnaire were in favour of the keeping the centre… that’s a very strong attitude and you have listen to ratepayers – they paid for that building.”
But the former mayor said alternative plans put forward by Save the Kangaroo Flat Leisure Centre – and the wishes of the community – were being “ignored”.
“This is not about being against the aquatic centre… the group has put forward plans which I believe have merit which show a marriage between the two is feasible,” she said.
City Futures director Stan Liacos said Mrs Carney was “entitled to her opinions” – but confirmed the demolition process would begin regardless.
“The demolition contractor will be on site later this week to commence the erection of safety perimeter fencing, then they will commence internal work,” he said.
Mr Liacos said the process would begin with the removal of asbestos common in internal structures of buildings for the era.
“After the removal of asbestos the more visual elements of demolition will occur about a week later … the entire process will take somewhere in the order of three weeks.
“This is a matter which council has given very detailed consideration to over many years and has decisively made a decision to proceed with the removal of a building to enable construction of long-awaited, state-of-the-art, indoor-aquatic center,” he said.