After what Mayor Sue Hickey has called a “quite exasperating” wait, long-overdue repairs to Glenorchy’s rundown pool are about to get underway, with a contract expected to be signed within days.
The announcement at Monday night’s Glenorchy City Council meeting was a welcome relief for locals who’ve spent months watching the facility sit idle since its closure in July 2023 due to safety concerns.
“We are in the final stages of contract negotiations with the preferred contractor for the repair of the pool,” Hickey said.
“The final designs and costings have been agreed upon and we are expecting to receive the signed contract in the next few days.”
Acknowledging the community’s mounting frustration, the mayor promised full transparency once the deal is locked in.
“I commit to making a public announcement about who the contractor is, the final scope of works and the costings once we have this contract signed,” she said.
But while short-term repairs will get swimmers back in the water by the end of 2026, months later than initially hoped, the bigger dream of a brand-new aquatic centre is still on hold.
Council’s bold, multi-million-dollar redevelopment plan has hit a roadblock, with no federal funding committed during the recent election.
“Following the recent federal election, we unfortunately didn’t receive any commitment to fund the development of the pool,” Hickey said. “This doesn’t mean that we’re giving up on getting the $83.8 million.”
“We are determined to keep the pool at the top of mind for politicians and candidates in the future, state and federal elections.”
Hickey said a fully redeveloped aquatic centre would be a “vital community piece of infrastructure” designed to serve locals for the next 40 years.
