Yarra Ranges council has locked in Lilydale as the preferred location for its proposed aquatic centre, ruling out options at Mooroolbark's Kiloran Park, as well as the possibility of a 50-metre pool.
What happened? At a council meeting on Tuesday September 8, the majority of councillors voted in support of naming Lilydale its favoured option for a new aquatic and leisure facility.
The location will be put forward in an upcoming business case, seeking the required funding from state and federal governments.
The decision removed Kiloran Park as a potential site, as well as the option for a 50-metre lap pool and the development of a standalone learn-to-swim facility.
Council staff said planning for a 25-metre pool was selected over a 50-metre pool as the construction of a shorter pool would be $10 million cheaper.
How’d we get here? Yarra Ranges council has been investigating the construction of a new Urban Aquatics and Leisure Facility for more than two years, with proposed features including a main lap pool, a warm water therapy pool, a learn-to-swim pool, a gym and a café.
The council has dedicated $15 million towards the new indoor aquatic and leisure facility, dependent on a commitment of $20 million each from the state and federal governments.
What they said: Yarra Ranges councillor Mitch Mazzarella was the only vote against the motion, opposing the removal of Kiloran Park as an option. Mazzarella said a 25-metre pool made more financial sense for the council moving forward.
“If we were to build this 50-metre lap pool, it will increase construction costs potentially, require double the amount of water, more electricity to heat, more chemicals to clean the water, more maintenance on the pool and more lifeguard supervision,” he said.
While councillor Len Cox voted for the motion, he said the decision to remove Kiloran Park as an option was “a pity”.