BENDIGO councillors are keen for a further decision on the fate of the Golden Square Pool to take place before their terms are up.
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Mayor Margaret O’Rourke set a two-year timeframe for a master plan of the Golden Square recreational precinct to be completed.
The City of Greater Bendigo is also expected to review its eight-year-old aquatic facilities strategy.
“We don’t think it’s fair to the community or to Golden Square Pool Inc to be just continually giving them an extension and an extension and I think the master plan work with all the user groups will help inform that decision,” Cr O’Rourke said.
Councillors decided at last night’s meeting to keep the 100-year-old pool open for at least the next two years.
Cr O’Rourke said the motion paved the way for the master plan and strategy review to take place.
“It will commence now,” she said on Thursday morning.
“Those things don’t happen quickly – they do take a while.
“There’s been population growth. There’s been a number of demographic changes. So all of that will go into that work over the next two years.”
She said the council would consult all of the user groups in Golden Square about the future of the recreational precinct.
“In the master planning we said that needs to have all the user groups of that area with options of the pool in that master plan or not in that master plan,” Cr O’Rourke said.
Golden Square Pool president Bernadette Wright said the council’s decision would allow the committee of management to implement infrastructure projects that had been on its wish list for the past season.
“This will be a crucial time for the Committee of Management and community to work together to continue the momentum we have achieved to date, and to ensure long-term certainty for members of our suburb and beyond,” she said.
“Keep watching this space. There will be more to come.”
She had previously told the Bendigo Advertiser the committee would need at least five years to implement its plans to improve the facility.
Ms Wright stood by her comments on Thursday, which included concerns about comparing the popularity of the Golden Square Pool with that of the new indoor pool being built at Kangaroo Flat.
But she said the committee was grateful for the reprieve and glad the community’s concerns for the Golden Square Pool had prompted the council to consider the master plan for the suburb’s recreational precinct.
“Two years is still a limited time but we are going to press on,” Ms Wright said.
She acknowledged the support and commitment of the community of Golden Square and beyond, “whose efforts in proactively contacting councillors, politicians and the media has led to this momentous decision”.
The City of Greater Bendigo will continue to provide $50,000 a year to the pool.
“But any repairs, works or replacement due to infrastructure failure will need to be funded by Golden Square Pool Inc,” Cr O’Rourke said.
"Council will also monitor the numbers attending the Golden Square Pool over the next two swimming seasons and revisit our decision in April 2020.
“It's important for us to see what impact the new Gurri Wanyarra indoor facility will have on Golden Square pool when it opens later this year”.