Strategic Leisure Group conducted the LGA-wide analysis, which found that Cessnock Pool needed to be updated or relocated to accommodate future demand (but little justification for any significant upgrades at Branxton Pool or Kurri Aquatic Centre).

The analysis is on public exhibition until July 25 and feedback is sought before council adopts the final study.

Cessnock Pool opened in 1935 and has the proud honour of being Australia’s first pool built to Olympic standards.

But nowadays the ageing complex is not meeting the community’s needs. Survey respondents  described the pool as ‘tired’ and ‘boring’, with a lack of parking and ‘fun’ elements, and that a year-round facility was desired.

The analysis proposed a 50-metre, eight-lane outdoor pool with seating for 400; and an indoor centre with a 25-metre indoor heated pool, hydrotherapy pool, gym/wellness area, cafe/kiosk, administration and retail area and a swim club meeting room.

The proposed new centre is likely to be partly funded through Section 94 development contributions.

But a facility that would attract high-level competitions, as sought by the Cessnock Pool Users Group, was not recommended.

“Such a facility is considered well beyond the needs of day-to-day use for either the current or predicted population and would be vastly more expensive from both a capital and operational perspective than the recommended facility mix,” the report said.

Cessnock Pool Users Group chairman Phil Murray said he would like to see the indoor and outdoor pool sizes swapped.

“We want the major part of it open all year-round to benefit the community,” he said.

The group represents hundreds of swimmers, including Cessnock, Coalfields and Masters swimming clubs, water polo, swimmers with disabilities and lap swimmers.

Mr. Murray rejected the claim that Cessnock wouldn’t be able to attract high-level competition and said that while the centre wouldn’t hold a competition every day of the week, a full-length indoor pool would benefit the lap swimmers that use the pool every day.

Cessnock City Council resolved in February 2013 to have a new aquatic centre for Cessnock “shovel-ready” by the 2016/17 budget.

“We promised people we would get this study going to see what we could do,” said Cr. Morgan Campbell, who called for council to develop a strategy for the pool in late 2012.

“The process now is to get the public’s opinions and then start working out a plan to make something happen.

Cr. Campbell said the study has some good ideas but that he was disappointed to see some things left out or not considered.

“For example the whole thing seems to be premised on an assumption that whatever we build, Cessnock can’t attract carnivals and events, which I don’t agree with,” Cr. Campbell said.

“More than anything I just hope people use the exhibition period to have a look at the study and make a submission.

“The idea was always to plan for a pool that meets the town’s needs.”

The Aquatic Needs Analysis can be viewed at council’s administration building, Cessnock and Kurri libraries, Kurri Aquatic Centre and online here.

Written submissions should be addressed to the General Manager and will be accepted up until 4pm Friday, July 25.

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The Advertiser spoke with 97-year-old Mavis Holland about her time as a turnstile attendant at Cessnock Pool in its early days. See the story here.