Yass Council has resolved the following motion at their most recent monthly Council meeting on the 27th of July, “To give public notice of the proposal to lease the land for the management of the current swimming pool and construction and management of an indoor heated swimming pool and associated facilities at the Yass Memorial Pool site and develop and release an Expression of Interest for the lease if no objections are received. Public notification for a period of no less than 28 days. A councillor workshop be held prior to the release of the EOI was also included in the successful motion.
Ross Webster was Chair of the initial investigatory committee for the proposal eight years ago. He told the Times that the cost may have been four to five million dollars back then and that although it could have doubled since then, the aged care industry in Yass would be very beneficial to the pool and the older residents in Yass would find it very useful. He also highlighted the need for those conducting learn-to-swim programs. If completed the project will help deal with injuries. By having private enterprise involved and the cost of the new admin building being quite large, Ross thinks it is the right way to go.
Learn-to-swim classes can be held year-round
He said, “I think it will be a great thing, aged care employs a lot more people than any other area in town. It will be great in the winter. With the plans, which have already been drawn up, it will be a great concept for the area. Back in 2011 we had a petition with about seventeen or eighteen hundred signatures, I think there would be five thousand there now. For any rehabilitation swimming the nearest one is Gungahlin or Stromlo. They are expensive but building it the right way is needed.”
It is expected that the 50-metre outdoor pool will remain and it will all be part of the same precinct.
At its meeting on 28 July 2021, Council resolved: “That the process required under the Local Government Act 1993 and the Crown Lands Management Act 2016 be commenced to enable the release of an expression of interest for the lease of the Yass Memorial Pool site for the purpose of construction and operating an indoor heated pool and (if requested) the operation of the existing pool facility.”
The report states, “The construction of a new indoor heated pool for swimming lessons and rehabilitation is part of the Council’s vision for the development of the Victoria Park Precinct. The adopted Victoria Park Masterplan and the Victoria Park Plan of Management has identified the area around the existing Yass War Memorial Pool as the location of the indoor heated pool. Council has previously been approached by a private company looking for a location to develop an indoor heated pool. The option for a lease of the site exists to enable the construction and management of an appropriate facility for the community. The first step is to give public notice of the proposal of the lease with a period of no less than 28 days. If no objections are received from the public notice, Council will develop and release an expression of interest for the lease. If objections are received from the public notice period, the proposal will be returned to Council for consideration and a request made to the Minister for approval or the proposal halted for re-evaluation.”
Watch this space, the market will now be tested. The cost of the build, entry fees for summer and winter and maintenance costs for the pool will all come into play, however, Yass is one step closer to a heated pool, something many have wanted for decades and something that normally appears in Facebook discussions on a regular basis about what Yass needs.
