A new aquatic centre for Cessnock will be debated once again at Wednesday’s council meeting.
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Cessnock City Council staff will recommend that if the centre is to be built, that it be located at Turner Park, Aberdare and include a long-course outdoor pool and a short-course indoor pool.
The draft Cessnock Aquatic Centre Feasibility and Design Report will come back to council after 60 days on public exhibition.
The report included two options – a medium-embellishment option with a 51-metre outdoor pool (costing about $39 million) and a high-embellishment option (a fully-indoor facility) estimated at around $48 million.
The 51-metre pool features a boom that allows the pool to be divided into two 25-metre sections – doubling lane space for lap swimmers.
The council report says the medium-embellishment facility is “most affordable option as it provides the highest return on investment of all options considered”.
“For every person that visits Option 2 (medium), it would cost Council $5.90. For every person that visits Option 3 (high), it would cost Council $7.27,” the report said.
The Cessnock Pool Users Group (which represents two junior swimming clubs, Masters, lap swimmers, water polo, water aerobics and the general public) believes the fully-indoor facility would best suit the needs of the community.
“To build an indoor 25-metre pool would be replicating what we already have at Kurri and to have an outdoor 50-metre pool is replicating what we have now at Cessnock – a pool that is shut down half of the year,” CPUG chairman Phil Murray said.
“It is absolutely vital that the long-course pool is indoor to satisfy the needs of the sport of swimming as well as recreational needs.
“We understand funding is a major problem for this project and suggest an option four, to abandon the 25-metre pool altogether, which would save millions.
“An indoor 10-lane 51-metre pool with a boom would give 20 25-metre lanes which would cater for all needs all year round.”