The years-long project to build an indoor pool facility in Mudgee has taken a step forward this week with an interim report tabled at the September council meeting.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The project is expected to cost up to $60 million and while nothing is set in stone, the current plan that was recommended would see the current outdoor pool on Short Street replaced by an eight-lane indoor facility, the construction of a health and fitness centre and the relatively recent water park would remain outdoors as it is now.
The public will have a chance to submit their feedback to Council at a future date.
Outdoor pools would remain in Gulgong and Kandos.
Not everyone is happy with the proposed design however with a number of residents voicing their concerns.
One such resident is Cassie Jones, who made a submission to Council during the public submission period in 2019. She said that an exclusively indoor pool would be a health hazard for her son Charlie who has cystic fibrosis (CF).
"Swimming is exceptionally good exercise for the lungs and it forms a key component of Charlie's spring and summer physio routine. We're at the pool usually 2-3 times a week, and more during the height of summer," she said.
"Pseudomonas is a group of bacteria that can cause various types of infections. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is the most common disease-causing form of this bacteria.
"PA bacteria thrive in moist environments, and indoor pool facilities are commonly avoided by the CF community due to the high risk factor.
"The pool itself I imagine would be heavily chlorinated, but the indoor environment is an ideal breeding ground for PA so it would be likely found throughout the facilities.
"I understand the appeal of an indoor facility, particularly during Mudgee's winter months, but not at the expense of the outdoor facility."
Cherie Fittler wrote to the Mudgee Guardian to express her disappointment. In a version of the letter we have edited, Cherie said removing the option of an outdoor pool would be foolhardy.
"Since 1953 the people of Mudgee and its visitors have enjoyed this wonderful facility and it's surrounds. Most of the town's residents learnt to swim there, many going on to be great, competitive swimmers," she wrote.
"It's absolutely ludicrous that the Council wants to close the open-air pool which often services over 1000 visitors a day in summer...
"Don't get me wrong, I see the benefit of the indoor pool, especially for learn to swim and rehab, but not at the cost of losing the outdoor pool."
At the August 2021 Council meeting, Council resolved to progress with four slightly varied facility design options into a detailed business case. It was also resolved that any new aquatic facility would be constructed at the existing site in Lawson Park.
The interim report lists a number of considerations that Council was forced to weigh before choosing which design to select. Among those were the ongoing maintenance and initial construction costs of a larger facility that includes health and fitness centre and accept that the longer Council waits to begin construction the more the project could cost.
The report also warns that the project costs will be significant and that Council must find funding from state and federal sources to complete the project.
