Political pressure increases on City Hall to keep North Bellarine Aquatic Centre in Drysdale open for longer

Little more than a fortnight before its scheduled seven-month closure, pressure is ramping up on Geelong council to keep the gates open at a pool that only opened in November.

The North Bellarine Aquatic Centre in Drysdale opened in November. Picture: Alan Barber.

A local politician has come out swinging against her opponents amid a community push to keep the gates open at a Bellarine swimming pool that only opened late last year.

Senator Sarah Henderson said Geelong council’s decision to close the North Bellarine Aquatic Centre (NBAC) in Drysdale for seven months from April was made in “stealth” and represented “a betrayal of our community”.

She said Corangamite MP Libby Coker’s attempt to shorten the closure to five months was “no better”.

“Corangamite residents deserve a local MP who is prepared to do more than tread water,” Ms Henderson said.

Ms Henderson, then the Corangamite MP, secured $10m federal funding for the pool during her 2019 election battle with Ms Coker.

Since opening in November, the facility has averaged a touch over 1500 visitors per week.

‘Betrayal’: Sarah Henderson. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman.

City Hall, which contributed $5.5m to the project and is responsible for its running costs, has said it cannot currently afford to keep the heated outdoor 50m pool open 12 months a year.

A spokesman pointed to an October media release that stated the facility would be “seasonal”.

The federal and state governments have each committed $20m to a second-stage expansion that would feature a range of indoor facilities, including pools, a gym and spa.

Ms Coker said she then expected the facility would open year-round, however stage two construction appears a long way off.

Ms Henderson said the facility should remain open “as council committed to do” and that as a condition of its stage two funding agreement, federal Labor must ensure the aquatic facility was open all year.

“Bellarine residents deserve the right to access this facility all year round,” she said.

Drysdale resident and regular pool user Louise Skeen has had well over 1500 people sign her petition that calls for the pool to have longer opening hours and for it to shut for just four months, from June to September.

Louise Skeen and husband Chris.

Ms Skeen said she was not politically aligned and simply wanted the facility open as much as possible for the betterment of the community.

“This pool is greatly contributing to the health and wellbeing of our local population,” she said.

“If we stop one person from getting type 2 diabetes through losing weight and exercising, if we help one elderly person increase their muscle mass which prevents falls and fractures, and one person able to manage their chronic back pain by walking in the pool rather than being hospitalised, then we would be doing far more good.

“In the long run, this saves the community millions of dollars.”

Geelong council warned residents on the eve of the recent long weekend that a shortage of lifeguards would see “non-core” services at the city’s aquatic centres significantly impacted.

Originally published as Political pressure increases on City Hall to keep North Bellarine Aquatic Centre in Drysdale open for longer