FEDERAL GRANT WAS TO BUILD OUTDOOR POOL

THE new north Bellarine pool will be a brilliant asset for the local community.

It’s a shame to see it being used as a vehicle for political point scoring, rather than celebrated as the real positive that it is.

Geelong council received a grant of $10m from the Australian government specifically to build a 50m outdoor pool.

We should not squander the opportunity to lay the strong foundations of this significant aquatic facility by refusing to build and therefore kicking the can on the project further down the road.

Outdoor pool attendance is at a record high across our municipality, with community demand fuelling the Kardinia pool to now be open all year round and the Lara outdoor pool having its opening hours extended as well.

Bellarine residents deserve the same access to quality aquatic facilities as the rest of Greater Geelong residents all year round.

The pool (which will be heated) will produce enormous health and wellbeing benefits, help create stronger and safer swimmers, and bring a lot of enjoyment.

Far from delaying, we want it open as soon as possible.

We have also committed to advocating for funding for stage two of the project, which will feature indoor facilities. We’ll be consulting the community shortly as we begin the design process.

I respectfully suggest that any local MP calling on the council to delay construction of stage one could serve the community better by making an election commitment to fund stage two.

With all levels of government working together, we can ultimately deliver a superb indoor and outdoor aquatic facility.

In the meantime, the completion of stage one is an exciting prospect for a community that has been without a 50m pool for too long.

Cr Trent Sullivan, Deputy Mayor City of Greater Geelong