General News
14 March, 2025
Council to seek funding for outdoor pool amidst escalating project costs
The Maryborough Olympic Pool Complex could be partially reopened following the endorsement of a State Government grant application.
At Wednesday evening’s special meeting, council supported 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.
If successful, stage one may 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 requiring further funding.
The report states “a high-level cost estimate” for stage two will 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 co-contribution for the grant application 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.
Councillor Geoff Bartlett, who voted against the recommendation to support the funding application, said he supported the pool’s reopening but was concerned inflation would make the second stage “an impossible burden for the ratepayers to bare at this time”.
“Equally concerning and not outlined in the report is the amount of interest we would be paying to service the debt in the way proposed. Over 15 years that would be around $1.5 million and we already have a loan on the book that we’re already paying interest on at the moment,” he said.
Interim CEO Sally Jones later clarified speculation on council’s options for the loan.
“As most people will be aware the Reserve Bank Board recently decided to lower the cash rate to 4.1 percent. The Reserve Bank Board is cautious about future cash rate reductions at present,” she said.
“Having said that, one option for council is to borrow from TCV, which is the Treasury Corporation Victoria, which is often where local government will receive their borrowings.
“The TCV loan rate, as of [February 28, 2025], for a 10 year principal and interest loan with quarterly instalments would have an interest rate of 4.875 percent. It is anticipated that interest rates may lower in the 26-27 financial year. Based on the interest rate of 4.1 percent, as I suggested, interest payments would be approximately $428,000 over the ten year period of the loan,” she said.
Councillor Liesbeth Long, who initially voted against and later in favour, also said she wasn’t against the reopening of the pool but was concerned how much was being borrowed for an asset only used some of the year when other options are available in the shire.
“The Maryborough Outdoor Pool generally opens during Energy Breakthrough, so end November, and runs for about four months, but only when the weather is above 25 degrees,” she said.
“In fact, the report before us tonight quotes stage one and two at 4.5 and 5.5 million respectively. That is a whopping 10 million dollars, again, for an asset that’s open for four months of the year.”
Cr Long was also concerned how stage one could see the Olympic-sized pool walled off “indefinitely”.
“If the first stage is successful, it will see a wall being built smack down the middle of the pool indefinitely until further funding is granted. In the current economic climate this could be challenging,” she said.
“As a councillor I’m entrusted by my constituents to oversee the governance of a shire which includes financial durability: bang for our buck.”
Speaking to The Maryborough District Advertiser after the meeting Cr Long said she hadn’t made a decision entering the meeting and initially spoke against in order to foster debate.
Central Goldfields Shire mayor Grace La Vella feared that not applying for this grant would be detrimental for future applications.
“Councillors this is an incredible opportunity to keep up the momentum of what our passionate and relentless community are fighting so hard for. It is imperative we support the application for this Victorian Government’s Regional Community Sports and Infrastructure Fund,” she said.
“They are watching us. This is an opportunity for our pool to be opened again.”
Councillors Grace La Vella, Ben Green, Liesbeth Long, and Anna De Villiers voted in favour of the report. Councillor Geoff Bartlett voted against.
Councillor Gerard Murphy did not attend due to a conflict of interest and councillor Jake Meyer was absent.
Correction (18/3): In Friday’s edition of The Advertiser (March 14), councillor Geoff Bartlett was misquoted in ‘Fears over pool’s swelling costs’ as saying council is “already paying interest” for a loan. The quote should have read that council are “only paying interest” on this loan at the moment.