Fate of the Nuriootpa War Memorial Swimming Pool hangs in the balance

The future of the historic Nuriootpa War Memorial Swimming Pool hangs in the balance as the Barossa Council looks to make moves on the issue. See the latest.

The Nuriootpa War Memorial Swimming Pool may be restored as council decides on the viability of the project.

The pool’s future hangs in the balance as the Barossa Council looks at resealing it, and makes up its mind on the viability by taking x-ray scans.

Despite announcing the closure of the pool this year, the council is now looking to determine the state of the pool before making a final decision on whether it stays or goes.

The scan agreed on at the April 20 meeting will be pivotal for any hopes of the pool’s future.

Swimmers have expressed their hopes the pool on Facebook.

Barossa local Heidi Hore said the council needs to invest in making it a water park to attract locals and tourists alike.

“Hundreds of thousands of dollars gets spent on other things in the area, but they won't commit to the pool, they were happy to build the Rex which is not maintained correctly, leaks in the roof cause indoor sporting games to be cancelled,” she wrote.

Another concerned local Dianne Bartsch said the Barossa is lacking in entertainment places for young people.

“We need the pool as a safe place for them to hang out and it’s a good way to get them outdoors,” she wrote.

Barossa Mayor Bim Lange said before any major decision is made, the council will undergo a community consultation on the issue, as there is a lot of sentiment around the pool.

“We’re taking a holistic approach, any new works or developments on the pool to update it would ultimately have to be covered by rates,” he said.

“People across the region will have a right to have their say.

“Previous councils ... always had the intention of closing the pool following the opening of the Rex centre, but that closure’s continually been deferred.”

The Nuriootpa War Memorial Swimming Pool. Picture Facebook

The current estimate to upgrade the pool is $1.7m.

“To get the existing site to a standard in line with brand Barossa, you would have to do a significant amount of work not only on the filters and filtration plant, but also the change rooms as they’re very dated,” Mr Lange said.

“Council could also consider just patching up what's there to keep it going until it completely fails.”

Mr Lange said that a decision will need to be made in the coming months so that if it is to stay open, maintenance can be completed on the pool before the next swimming season.