No more bandaid solutions for Hay Pool, and D-Day for the hydrotherapy pool

Hay Shire Council plans for the continued expansion of the John Houston Memorial Pool complex, including a new 8-lane swimming pool and hydrotherapy pool. Image: Hay Shire Council.

By Tertia Butcher

There will be no further band-aid remedies for Hay’s 60-year-old John Houston Memorial Pool.

Hay is to get a new swimming pool after Council made the difficult decision last week to borrow up to $4 million.

The alternative was coping with a leaking pool and handing back the $3 million received under the State Government’s Multi-Sport Community Facility Fund for pool replacement.

Hay Shire Council General Manager, David Webb said Council had already been given an extended funding timeline of one year to expend the $3 million funding.

“They are not prepared to extend beyond 2024/25 year and wish to see by late July (next month) confirmation of co-funding to allow the project to proceed,” Mr Webb said.

“A grant funding application for the swimming pool replacement was submitted under the Growing Regions Program in January, requesting $4.153 million. We were advised late last week that Council unfortunately was unsuccessful.

“The total project cost is estimated to be $7 million.”

“Council is able to afford the loan without cutting services, however, it will leave things very tight with no discretionary spending nor capacity to borrow in the future for other activities such as flood levee upgrade.

“Council would have to be disciplined in its budgeting.

“This (the loan) is the State Government’s preferred option.”

“The pool has been leaking for 20 years,” Cr Paul Porter added.

“We’ve been throwing good money after bad.

“I move we apply for the loan. This is an investment for our town.”

Mr Webb said tendering for the replacement pool should be deferred to the new Council, to be elected in September.

He expects construction to begin by Christmas which forms part of the funding agreement, but means there will be no pool for part of the next season.

“Best scenario would be to start in February after the school carnivals,” Mr Webb said.

Council resolves to apply for the loan with NSW Treasure Corporation (TCorp) and in the meantime to continue working on other grant applications to repay the loan.

Councillors all voted in favour of a motion by Cr Clarke to borrow the money, with exception of Cr Geoff Chapman who moved against it.

A 2022 Coalition Government pre-election promise of $2 million towards the construction of a new pool for Hay was lost after the Australian Labor Party won the 2022 election.

It was D-Day for Hay’s proposed hydrotherapy pool last Tuesday, the culmination of a 30-year effort by the Hay community.

The pendulum was swinging between the need for a heated pool and Council’s deliberation on replacing the ageing John Houston Memorial Swimming Pool.

With a majority vote in favour of replacing the main pool, councillors were quick to also give the hydrotherapy pool the nod, to be located within the swimming pool complex.

The facility will be constructed in line with the swimming pool replacement, expected to start next summer.

General Manager, David Webb said Council had reached a point where it needed to determine whether to go ahead with the hydrotherapy pool, as a joint tender with the swimming pool was the best economically.

“Given the proposed location of the facility, construction cannot commence until demolition works of the old pool has been undertaken,” Mr Webb said.

A Section 355 committee of Council will manage the facility, with volunteers assisting.

Royal Life Saving has confirmed the pool could be managed with users provided they are suitably qualified, rather than a dedicated lifeguard.

The pool would cater for mental therapy, physical therapy, aerobic groups, sporting groups, pregnant women and the elderly. It will operate at 30 to 36 degrees Celsius inside a purpose-built shed structure with amenities.

Mr Webb said staff still maintain concern at the viability of the facility in the medium to long-term, and the impost it will have on Council resources and finances.

Hay Heated Pool committee president, Sandy Symons attended the meeting and assured Council he was confident the committee would not fail in its ongoing fundraising efforts.

Mr Symons said over the last three years, the committee raised $800,000 in grants, donations and fundraising efforts.

“Everyone knows the history of the $320,000 raised by previous committees and the extraordinary effort it took to achieve that goal,” he said.

“Our committee views the Hay Hydrotherapy Pool as an asset for Hay and its ageing population and not a liability.

“We have the money to build it. We have the overwhelming endorsement from the Hay community to build it, as shown in a survey conducted.

“And we have an active committee to oversee and run fundraising events into the future.

“This opportunity will not pass our way again.

“The hydrotherapy pool is needed, and is sustainable sustainable. So are the government grants and Bendigo Community Bank contributions.

“Nothing of significance has ever been achieved through the fear of failure and I have every confidence in our committee, in conjunctions with Council, that this project will not fail.”