The Glenorchy City Council has taken a step towards a potential overhaul of the dilapidated and currently closed Glenorchy War Memorial Pool.
At a meeting on Monday night, councillors selected their preferred option for a replacement aquatic facility, opting for an indoor space with semi open-air pool functionality.
The decision comes more than a year after the 60-year-old pool was closed due to safety concerns stemming from its deteriorating infrastructure.
While exact costs are yet to be determined, the council has been advised that a redeveloped facility would currently be in the vicinity of $80 million.
The preferred option includes an indoor 50m pool, indoor 20m warm water learn to swim pool, wellness hall with spa, sauna and steam facilities, leisure/toddler pool, café and gym.
“A redeveloped pool, a facility which will meet all contemporary standards and cater for a growing community’s needs for at least the next 50 years, will be expensive and council will need other tiers of government to fund such a redevelopment,” Mayor Sue Hickey said.
“Through the recent elector poll over 22,000 community members told council of its desires to retain the pool and redevelop it into a modern public pool facility.”
The council will now progress the selected option to further design work to inform a business case for seeking funding for the facility’s redevelopment in the long term.
Hickey noted that while a redeveloped facility is a long-term plan, the council is progressing with $5 million in repair work on the current pool facility.
“Council’s priority in the shorter term is to use the state government funding to make the existing pool safe and open for public use as soon as possible,” she said.
Speaking at the meeting, Alderman Shane Alderton raised concerns about incorrect reports circulating on social media that the pool would be open in time for summer.
“This is causing a lot of angst in the community, a lot of misinformation, a lot of misbelief, that they’re going to have a pool to swim in this summer,” he said.
No timeline for the pool restoration project or future reopening has been provided.
