Adelaide City Council should pitch for government stimulus funding for the Aquatic Centre, former lord mayor says
Now is the perfect time for Adelaide City Council to ask for Federal and State Government assistance to upgrade the ageing Adelaide Aquatic Centre, a former lord mayor has told elected members.
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Now is the perfect time for Adelaide City Council to ask for government assistance to upgrade the ageing Adelaide Aquatic Centre, a former lord mayor has told elected members.
In a deputation to the council on Tuesday night, Jane Lomax-Smith said there was a “good argument” that the centre was a State Government responsibility to refurbish.
It comes as the Adelaide Crows shelved its $65 million plans to upgrade the centre earlier this month.
Dr Lomax-Smith said the facility was one of “regional or state significance” and deserved significant government funding.
“This centre does service a remarkably large proportion of the metropolitan area,” Dr Lomax-Smith said, proposing the gymnasium could be expanded.
“It’s also a facility that’s really, really important for schools… for mental health and it’s also important for general health.
“I don’t think there’s a better time to ask for stimulus funding to deal with some of the maintenance backlog on this site.
“Certainly within the next six months there must be an opportunities to get Federal funding.”
A market research report by Norwood consultants Intuito, commissioned by the council – which consulted with more than 200 centre users in January – found “the facility is highly valued... (and) is of great importance in the lives of many people”.
However, it also found “some people are uncertain about the future of the centre enough to question their ongoing membership”.
“There is also a sense that staff at the centre are unsettled,” the report reads.
Meanwhile, Cr Phillip Martin was disappointed that 746 responses submissions to the Crows’ plan, following community consultation, were not accepted by the council.
Council administration did not accept submissions as they “may have been influenced” by the Adelaide Parklands Preservation Assocation, a council report reads.
“It is a very sad chapter in the history of the city of Adelaide,” Cr Martin said.
“It’s deeply flawed in the eyes of many South Australians.
“Without their feedback this consultation is not valid consultation in my view.”
Cr Robert Simms said removing “hundreds and hundreds” of submissions set a “dangerous precedent for our democracy”.
“They have been disenfranchised by this process,” Cr Simms said.
“I hope we never repeat this botched consultation again. This council has really really stuffed it up. I understand why there is so much fury in the community.”
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However, Cr Jessy Kherra said both councillors were “making a mountain out of a molehill”.
“You are accusing the administration of not simply being derelict in their duty, but being active participants in some kind of fraud,” Cr Kherra said.
“Those numbers... as a proportion of ratepayers... are absolutely minuscule.”