By Mikayla van Loon
A petition of over 1000 signatures calling for Yarra Ranges Council to rebuild the Kilsyth pool was lodged and accepted at the first May meeting.
Lead petitioner Janice Floyd presented the petition at the council meeting on Tuesday 14 May, urging the council to consider reconstructing the pool in the shell of what is left.
Sympathising with the council’s decision given the worse-for-wear state of the pool, Ms Floyd said she understood it was “old and tired” and “perhaps it was time to go”.
“I watched the agonising decision you had to make. You knew how popular our pool was, and how its decommissioning would affect us. You also knew how much it was costing to keep it limping along,” she said.
“It did not meet all the council’s strategic objectives. The decision was made not to consult the community and the pool was pulled down within a week but it was too late for us to say our goodbyes and now we were left with nothing.”
What Ms Floyd said she couldn’t understand, however, was the complete shut down of the pool.
“We have a 50 metre long hole in the ground that does not need to be excavated again. Our pool can be rebuilt,” she said.
“It’s a beautiful site. It has a big hole. It has infrastructure, parking, lighting…the pavilions, the changing rooms, it has beautiful gardens.”
Putting forward a case for the potential positive outcomes of rebuilding a pool at the Hawthory Road site, Ms Floyd said it would meet four of the council’s strategic objectives.
“One, environmental sustainability. With sustainable design features, solar batteries, heat pumps, water harvesting and recycling, it is carbon neutral,” she said.
“Two, financial sustainability. With low operating costs and with the return of swim fees and pool hire it is financially sustainable and will produce a positive revenue stream.
“Three, economic benefits. With a positive revenue stream, funds can go towards other pools in the Shire and towards building the Lilydale aquatic and recreation centre. Four, participation, inclusion and access. A rebuilt pool achieves all of these 100 per cent.”
Councillor Andrew Fullagar said he appreciated the efforts of gaining close to 1200 signatures from the Kilsyth and surrounding communities but couldn’t promise the desired outcome.
“The question that we as council must wrestle with and consider carefully is what’s best for the Shire overall and that’s a tough gig,” he said.
“We can promise that we will thoroughly investigate the future of the site and ask that officers keep an open mind. We certainly note tonight, as we have done over the last number of months, the community’s strong desire for a pool to be back at that site.”
Ms Floyd said in all of her encounters with the community since starting the petition, she hadn’t “heard anybody say ‘No, I don’t want the pool’, they all say ‘I miss it’”.
Cr Len Cox moved the motion to approve the petition for review by the council’s officers and said “I genuinely believe we’ve made a bad mistake in just closing it”.
The acceptance of the petition was moved unanimously.
