Council & Business
28 September, 2023
Maryborough indoor pool to be temporarily closed for retiling in 2024
Maryborough will be without both its swimming pools for part of next year after the Central Goldfields Shire Council awarded a $600,000 contract to retile the indoor pool. At Tuesday’s ordinary council meeting, councillors moved unanimously to...
Maryborough will be without both its swimming pools for part of next year after the Central Goldfields Shire Council awarded a $600,000 contract to retile the indoor pool.
At Tuesday’s ordinary council meeting, councillors moved unanimously to award the $600,000 contract to On Time Developments, which will see the 25-metre pool retiled, associated waterproofing completed and the wet deck replaced.
According to council, the indoor pool tiles are almost 25 years old and have reached the end of their life — with the project to improve user experience and safety for years to come.
The decision means the indoor pool hall will be closed for approximately 10 weeks from March to May next year, resulting in the town having no swimming pools after the outdoor olympic facility was closed in July last year, earmarked to be demolished and rebuilt.
Speaking during this week’s council meeting, councillor Wayne Sproull acknowledged that given the outdoor pool’s closure, it was important the project was completed as soon as possible.
“As we know from previous reports, our swimming pool assets need work to keep them safe and operational for our public,” he said.
“Given the increased patronage of the indoor pool due to the closure of the olympic pool, it’s paramount that these works are carried out so the facility can remain operational for years to come.”
According to the report tabled at this week’s meeting, the toddler pool and learn to swim pools had been included in the initial tender, however budget constraints meant upgrades to these facilities were not included in the final contract.
The project is funded by the Federal Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure program and to meet the funding requirements, council is required to complete the project by June 2024.
According to council, the March start date for the project allows the pool to remain open for as long as possible during summer, while also allowing time for the works to be completed by the funding deadline.
Mayor Grace La Vella said it was a case of “short-term pain for long-term gain”, with the upgraded pool to last another 25 years.
“The reality is the 25-metre indoor pool is now 25 years old — the tiles have reached the end of their life and so it’s time for a refresh,” she said.
“We know the many people who use the facility every year will miss having access to the pool whilst the project is undertaken, but it’s a case of short-term pain for long-term gain.”
Cr La Vella said council remained committed to reopening Maryborough’s outdoor pool and has completed upgrades to the pools in Talbot and Dunolly, including repainting pool shells and upgrading plant rooms ahead of the coming pool season.
“Council is committed to investing and maintaining our local pools. We’ve also upgraded the Talbot and Dunolly pools during the winter so that they are ready to go when the outdoor pool season opens on the first weekend of December,” she said.
“We also continue to advocate behind the scenes for the funding needed to restore the heritage-listed Maryborough Outdoor Pool so that it can be re-opened to the community again.
“As part of this, in July, we submitted an expression of interest application to the Federal Government’s Growing Regions Program — Round One for $4 million in funding for the Maryborough Olympic Pool Complex Project.
“In November this year we expect to hear if we have progressed to the next stage of the application process.
“Whilst we await this news, works to rebuild the octagonal pool are currently underway which brings us another step closer to preserving this valued heritage asset.”