The Glenorchy City Council will immediately start preparing a schedule of works to repair and eventually open the Glenorchy War Memorial Pool following funding announcements by both Labor and Liberal parties recently.
At a meeting on Monday 26 February, the council voted to get to work straight away in preparation for when funding arrived, with a pool engineering firm to be engaged to advise on what work should be prioritised.
The pool was not reopened in October after an independent report found a number of serious issues with the pool, including some that posed a public safety risk.
With the pool closed, the council commissioned a consultant to investigate the long-term future of the pool site, including the possibility of the pool facility being redeveloped. Community input into this project is being sought, with the consultant, MI Global Partners, commencing community sessions in late February.
Mayor Bec Thomas said the funding would allow the council to repair and reopen the pool while long-term planning continued.
“The body of work we have asked MI Global Partners to undertake on our behalf remains extremely critical, and we urge the community to make sure it gets involved and has a say.
“While this funding will allow us to address the immediate safety issues the pool has and reopen the facility for the community, it does not lessen the need for us to have a long-term strategic direction for the pool and the site as well as laying the groundwork for future government funding.”
Mayor Thomas said she welcomed the parties’ funding announcements on behalf of the community.
“We know that keeping the pool closed upset many people in the community. It was a decision that had to be made, but it came with no warning.
“What we have heard loud and clear is that the community want the pool fixed and reopened, and that it is an important facility, not just for people in Glenorchy but people across the Greater Hobart area,” she said.