The proposed aquatic centre to be built at the Tamworth Sports Dome is already dividing the city, and while the centre is far from a done deal what is clear is that if it goes ahead it will come at the cost of both the Scully and City pools.
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Talks of a new aquatic facility have been in the pipeline for over 40 years, although recently the Tamworth Aquatic Group came together and lobbied hard to get the item on Council’s agenda.
Council announced in May that they had moved their timeline forward by three years to have “the project shovel ready by the end of 2018, before recently signing off on $250,000 worth of funding for research, design and planning on the estimated $30 million project.
While the facility has garnered plenty of support on one hand, what hasn’t been so well supported is the proposed site, and the loss and sell-off of the two existing facilities, that are more central to the city.
Issues of access, safety, pricing, and congestion have already come to the fore, most recently at the Tamworth ratepayers Association meeting, although Mayor Col Murray has said that the public consultation period “hasn’t really started yet.”
“It is not ready to go out to the community yet because there is no plans and no concept – that is all part of the process,” Cr Murray said.
“We understand what the Tamworth Aquatic Group’s views are, but we have got to have a discussion with the community and get the consent of the community – that is a critical element of the whole discussion.
“Early indications are that we could not have a financial plan that could work with keeping either or both of the existing pools.”
Almost half of respondents to a recent Leader poll were against the loss of both pools, with 46 per cent of the 334 votes against the proposal.
There were 114 votes for the proposal, representing 34 per cent of respondents, while the remaining 20 per cent believe further consultation is needed.
Council has previously been quoted as saying that at $1.5 million a year, the two existing pools on separate sites “are very inefficient to operate”, while the city has also shown a need for an all year round facility.
Meanwhile, vice president of the Ratepayers Association, Michelle Bryan, questioned the need for public services to “generate income”, as she urged residents to make their opinions heard either way during further consultation.
