Bendigo's council could ditch plans to close Bendigo East Swimming Pool this winter.
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It might become a significant win for a community group campaigning to keep the pool open over the colder months.
Yet it could raise new questions for councillors grappling with difficult questions about spiralling costs to ratepayers for a suite of ageing pools across the municipality.
The council and the pool's committee of management were planning to ditch winter opening hours at the Bendigo East pool but civic leaders could vote on Monday, April 22 to raise 2024 winter season entry fees by 30 per cent.
Councillors will also consider reduced hours at the pool.
Reprieve might not solve long term problems
Council officers have warned the rethink would not solve the "still significant risks to financial viability" that the pool's committee of management faces.
They say they are working with the committee on long term plans to keep costs sustainable.
A recent survey of pool users found an overwhelming 94 per cent of respondents supported a 30 per cent price rise for winter pool entry, and five per cent who said they struggled to pay the existing price.
The 30 per cent rise would be well above the 6.25 per cent ticket rise at other Bendigo pools.
The council would expect to pay more money on the pool under the plan. Its bill would rise to $191,700 on the pool this financial year.
It spent $176,000 plus a one-off payment in the previous 12 months, plus a one-off payment to help with rising utility costs.
Big questions for pools across the municipality
The council has previously warned that the bill to the public is likely to rise as Bendigo's large number of pools age and maintenance bills get higher.
Many of the city's 13 aquatic facilities are more than 50 years old and lack modern buildings, pool shells, chemical handling facilities and change rooms, specialists at RM Consulting warned two years ago.
"These old facilities often struggle to (or cannot) meet today's standards for equitable access, safety and health, or are inefficient, with high operational costs," the consultants said.
Discussions about the future of pools could be difficult given how special they often are to the communities they serve, the consultants said.
Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
