A rescission motion to bring shovel-ready plans for Cessnock’s new aquatic centre ahead by two years failed to get through at last Wednesday’s council meeting.
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Councillors James Ryan, Ian Olsen and Suellen Wrightson wanted the shovel-ready plans to be prepared in time for the 2014/15 budget, two years earlier than the date Cr. Morgan Campbell successfully moved at the last meeting of 2012.
“What I don’t want is for it to be on the agenda in my third term of council and for nothing to be achieved,” Cr. Ryan said.
“If we only plan to have a plan, we may end up with no pool at all.”
Cr. Campbell said his motion did intend to have funds set aside in the next budget, and that he found the rescission motion “very disappointing”.
“If it was so urgent, why would they have delayed it for a further two months? Where was their (Cr. Ryan and Cr. Olsen’s) motion in their 10 years on council?” Cr. Campbell said.
“If it was an 18-month process, we may as well keep the old one, because it will be a two-bob job.”
Cr. Campbell said he was simply implementing the Cessnock Pool Users Group’s pledge, which was to have an aquatic centre shovel-ready by 2016/17.
