General News
11 March, 2025
Council to decide on multi-million dollar application to reopen outdoor pool complex
Although the Olympic-sized pool will remain closed, the funding could see other areas of the complex reopened to the public.
If council endorse the State Government grant application at tomorrow’s council meeting, it could see the partial reopening of the Maryborough Olympic Outdoor Pool Complex.
The report being considered by council recommends they support a funding application to the Victorian Government’s Regional Community Sports Infrastructure Fund (RCSIF).
The application is for $3 million for stage one of the project, with a co-contribution of $1.5 million from council.
Council’s co-contribution is split between $150,000 budget allocation for the 2025-26 Annual Budget and $1.35 million in borrowings from the 2026-27 Annual Budget.
However, the last cost estimate for the project was $8 million in 2023 which is expected to have increased by several million dollars due to “cost escalations”.
As a result, earlier this year council officers presented to council a path that split the project into two stages.
According to the report, stage one “will involve the detailed design of the entire complex, repair of existing 25-metre learn to swim pool, including the installation of new filtration, and addition of contemporary change room facilities”.
If successful, it will allow an opportunity to negotiate the partial reopening of the Octagonal Wading Pool and 25 metre pool with council’s operational contractor.
The redevelopment of the Heritage Olympic Pool, however, will be in the project’s second stage needing further funding.
The report predicts “a high-level cost estimate” to be $5.5 million with the final cost to be determined as a part of stage one.
This means the Olympic sized pool, the only one heritage listed in regional Victoria, will remain closed since first shut to the public in July of 2022.
Council’s closure decision followed further technical assessment that found the olympic pool was at an ‘end of life stage’ making it not safe to reopen until the pool was demolished and rebuilt.
In the same resolution as the closure, council are “committed to prioritise advocacy to the Victorian and federal governments to assist in funding this project”, according to the current report.
In 2023, following an unsuccessful funding application to the Federal Government, council decided to withdraw a funding application to the State Government which would require them to co-contribute $4 million to the project in future borrowings.
Due to the cost of the project councillors said funding from both federal and state governments was required.
Although the Olympic sized pool will remain closed until further funding is secured, recent months have seen a community advocacy group keen to work with council to secure the necessary equity.
Initially kickstarted by president of the Maryborough Swimming Club Duncan Bates, the group has seen meeting turnouts of upwards of 50 people and interest from organisations across the community.
Speaking prior to the first meeting, Mr Bates said while the project might be difficult that doesn’t make it less worthwhile.
“The main message for the community is not to give up hope. Although it’s going to be a huge undertaking that’s not to mean it’s impossible and there’s enough [good]will out there,” he said.
“It’s just a case of finding the right funding to support it and to understand what work’s required.”
Mr Bates initially considered the group a point of reference for council.
“If you imagine a football ground [it] has an obvious user which is the football club,” he said.
“There’s so many different users for the outdoor swimming pool there’s no one point of contact,” he said.
At the February 13 community pool meeting, Mr Bates said initial conversations with council surrounded a small advisory group that would allow the community group to remain independent without compromising councillors’ ability to vote.
“What I believe we’re going to try and set up with the council is a structure, an advisory group of two or three, that involves councillors, council officers, and someone from our group that acts like a telephone if you like: back and forth. So that way we can speak to the council and they can speak to us,” he said.
However, the advisory group’s role and structure as a part of this proposed two stage approach to the Maryborough Olympic Outdoor Pool Complex remains unclear.
Council will make a decision on the State Government grant application at the Community Hub, March 12, from 6 pm.