The Maranoa council has approved a $529k tender to manage the Roma Denise Swimming Pool to allow free entry for swimmers

Maranoa councillors awarded a $529,000 tender to manager the Roma Denise Swimming Pool, costing ratepayers $178,000 to enable free entry for swimmers.

Roma Denise Spencer Memorial Pool

In order to provide free entry to the Roma pool, Maranoa ratepayers will be slugged $178,500 each year following a heated discussion in the council chambers.

In the council meeting on Wednesday, councillors debated the tender for the management of the Roma Denise Spencer Pool that was advertised to the public in April.

Current manager, Stacey Ann Robertson, was the only tenderer and offered council three quotes to manage the 50-metre pool and play park.

The recommendation to council was that they select the most expensive tendered price, $529,250 per annum, due to the majority of councillors voting for free entry into the pool in February.

Ms Robertson also offered two non-conforming tenders, one with an annual management fee of $418,750 per year but with the clause that free general admission was only applied during school hours.

‘This will benefit young families, the elderly, disability and support services and the unemployed,’ the tendered document stated.

The second nonconforming quote was $350,750 per year but that free entry was not offered, saying in the past free entry has resulted in ‘unmanageable’ amount of people to supervise, fighting among youth and attacks on staff where police had to be called.

In the February council meeting, Cr Joh Hancock said councillors received feedback from the Roma Swimming Pool Action Group who did not believe the pool should have free entry.

Cr Wendy Taylor noted in the council meeting on Wednesday the $529,250 amount was significantly higher than the most recent management agreement being $110,835.

“I don’t get why we are going for a free pool, when she’s (Ms Robertson) asking for it not to be free and there’s lots of comments from community members asking for it not to be free,” she said.

Mayor Tyson Golder moved the motion select Ms Robertson’s tendered price of $529,250 per annum, including GST, and that council allocate funds in the 2021/22 budget and future budgets, to fund the $418,414.13 increase in the annual management fee.

He said all the pools across the Maranoa incur a significant cost for council, but it was best for the ‘liveability’ for people in the Maranoa.

“It costs council a lot of money to run a pool, whether one or 100 people use the pool,” he said.

“So if we can get a lot of people using the pool, the money for council is far reduced.”

He said swimming wasa great benefit for people’s health and lifestyle and providing a free pool was a fantastic opportunity for the region and enticed people to move west.

Unconvinced, Cr Taylor said the decision would turn the business into a job.

“So do they care how many walk into the pool cause they get paid now,” Cr Taylor said.

“The tenderer put in non-conforming tenders where she states why she doesn’t want free entry as it results in unmanageable amount of people, police called, additional cleaning and maintenance required, so why would we change a business into just a job.”

Similarly, Cr Hancock labelled it a “sad day” when council didn’t listen to the professionals saying she had feedback from other pool lessees who also don’t believe in free entry.

Cr Cameron O’Neil said he strongly believed it should be a user-paid module.

“Every decision I make has the community and ratepayer in mind,” he said.

“I simply cannot support where the rate base is going to be subsidising entry into the facility to the tune of $178,000, which they may never use.”

He said that amount of money could be better spent in the community to maintain or upgrade other facilities.

Cr O’Neil said it was time that council took a stand and actually upgraded the 60-year-old pool.

“I’ve been here for a decade and we’ve been talking about it for that long and this council must act,” he said.

“I accept the process will take sometime, going through consultation and going to tender, but if we are not starting to build this pool at the beginning of 2023, it will go into next term and I think that will be unacceptable.”

Deputy mayor Geoff McMullen seconded the mayor’s motion and said free entry would see a big benefit to the patronage of the pool.

Cr Golder’s motion was passed and supported by Crs McMullen, Mark Edwards, George Ladbrook, Julie Guthrie and John Birkett.

In opposition was Crs Taylor, Hancock and O’Neil.