BENDIGO council has given user groups three months to discuss the fate of the Golden Square Swimming Pool.
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But, while the pool's managers have welcomed the opportunity to have outstanding questions answered, they have concerns about the length of the delay.
The matter will next come before council in June - the same month Golden Square Pool's lease expires.
It was originally supposed to be decided in April, but was brought forward a month due to fire damage.
Five of the seven councillors at last night's council meeting supported an alternative motion, put forward by deputy mayor Matt Emond.
City staff had recommended councillors enable the Golden Square Pool to operate for four more years.
It was also suggested the city take on responsibility for asset maintenance and provide $35,000 a year in annual funding.
City staff recommended the pool close earlier than four years in the event of more than $20,000 worth of repairs or replacements.
They suggested the council authorise officers to progress an insurance claim for fire damage at the pool earlier this year, and finalise master planning for the Golden Square Recreation Reserve within four years.
Cr Emond's alternative recommendation was to defer the decision until June to enable further stakeholder engagement.
He, mayor Margaret O'Rourke, councillors Rod Fyffe, Susie Hawke and George Flack backed the alternative recommendation.
Cr Jennifer Alden voted against it. Cr Andrea Metcalf abstained.
The arguments for a June deferral
Cr Emond said a deferral was not something council took lightly, but believed these were extraordinary circumstances.
"I don't think I've read an email that was happy with the proposed recommendation in its previous form," he said.
He believed the additional time would be important to "bring the community along" and find a solid way forward.
Cr Fyffe said continuing the dialogue with user groups would likely result in a better outcome.
"We need to respect that community input," he said.
He believed taking a little bit longer, and a little more in-depth analysis, would enable a way forward to be mapped out.
Cr Hawke - the newest addition to the council - said she felt the need for more information to make an informed decision.
Summarising the arguments to defer the decision, Cr Emond said a deferral was vital for all user groups.
"I'm here for my community and I think this recommendation to defer is a direct response to the needs of not just one user group, but multiple user groups, who are all unhappy," he said.
The arguments against
Cr Alden said she could not support a deferral and was not confident the required communication would achieve the results planned by some.
If there was to be a new recommendation, she said it should be developed in conjunction with the Golden Square Pool and only after general communication.
She was critical of the city's handling of the situation.
"Poor communication has been the hallmark of this whole process and the Golden Square community are the poorer for it," Cr Alden said.
She said the fact none of the user groups had seen the city's recommendation before it was released to the public on Friday was "really poor indeed", and a lack of certainty at the end of the 2020 pool season was partly due to the absence of a promised comprehensive aquatic strategy.
Cr Alden said the strategy had not progressed as expected "for some still unexplained reason" and believed that to be a "big error of judgement" on council's part.
Cr Metcalf could not support either the city or Cr Emond's recommendations.
She called for the decision to be on the agenda for April, as promised in 2018.
"There are consequences in delaying this decision that affect the Golden Square Pool committee being able to get on with the jobs that they do in the off season, like applying for grant funding," Cr Metcalf said.
"You can't apply for grants if you don't know if the Pool will even be open in the 20/21 season."
Where this leaves the Golden Square Pool
Golden Square Pool president Sam Kane said the committee of management already had more than $10,000 worth of time-critical grants, which the decision to delay could affect.
"We just don't know what three months will achieve," Mr Kane said.
He said a delay of that length did not give any certainty to what would happen.
It would also hamper the pool's ability to start implementing its strategic plan for the next four years.
Golden Square Football Netball Club suggested, prior to the meeting, that any decision be deferred until April.
A reason for a delay of three months was not ascertained from listening to the meeting.
Speaking during the meeting, Cr Metcalf said the suggestion to delay the decision for three months "feels like a recommendation made on the run."
"I cannot reconcile the idea that we will suddenly have further information available to us for a decision in three months' time, after waiting already for two years," she said.
"Neither am I confident that any meetings between the various users of the precinct over the next three months might lead to an amicable outcome and solution for everyone involved considering there has only been one meeting of the user groups in the last 10 months."
She said the users of the Golden Square Pool and the users of the recreation reserve had every right to be angry and disappointed with the situation they were in.
Mr Kane said the Golden Square Pool would remain positive and would not give up.