Clarence council decides on Grafton pool closure, redevelopment
Grafton set to get the aquatic centre it ‘deserves’ after a lengthy debate about cost, time and access issues. Read why and take our poll on the decision.
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The Grafton community is set to get the aquatic centre it “deserves” after a successful vote to progress a $21 million redevelopment.
But the Grafton Olympic Pool must close for at least the 2022-23 season to avoid the risk of a “catastrophic failure” from the deterioration of the 63-year-old pool infrastructure which has “reached the end of its useful life”.
In front of a full house, Clarence Valley Council voted six to three on Tuesday to spend $3.8 million to help deliver stage 1 of the Grafton pool redevelopment project.
Stage one — expected to cost about $15 million — will include a new 50m eight-lane outdoor pool, outdoor grandstand including accessible spaces, new warm water 25m heated pool, new beach entry heated leisure pool with a program pool, additional amenities, shade and recreational areas, a swim club room and outdoor pool lighting.
Stage 2 — expected to cost about $6 million — will include two water slides, all ability splash pad, dive pool and refurbishment of existing amenities.
The $20-25 million price tag, though, has yet to be tested for market value through the tender process.
Councillors resolved that the South Grafton pool would remain open until Stage 1 of the Grafton pool redevelopment was completed.
The council also committed to further geotechnical investigations in the pool basin and concourse following the pool’s closure but a two-stage selective tender process will begin immediately to upgrade the pool.
The community who had hoped to save the memorial pool are expected to get an event to celebrate the history and connection with the current facility.
Our swimmers
Grafton Amateur Swimming Club president Kathryn Robinson, speaking to the councillors ahead of the meeting on Tuesday, said the club began in the 1900s initially run out of the Grafton and South Grafton baths.
She said there was a 10-year on where to put the current pool after 12 scouts died in the Clarence River but the club moved to the Oliver St site in 1955 after the pool opened.
Ms Robinson said the club had produced numerous “amazing swimmers” at state, national and international level including Commonwealth, Olympic and Paralympic Games competitors.
She listed Nathan Meyer, Anne Nelson, David Dickson and Greg Robinson among them, saying the club had members away now at national titles.
“The impact on our swimmers at this stage is the reduced hours they can train because the facility at South Grafton, although wonderful especially during winner, cannot accommodate the hours they have to train to be at these elite levels,” she said.
“There’s not enough hours in the day.”
Ms Robinson said the pool was already overcrowded and she feared what would happen during summer months.
Time and money
In a somewhat confusing council meeting full of constantly changing motions and amendments, some councillors noted frustrations with the timeline for delivery of the project and concerns about the cost.
Cr Peter Johnstone said it was the wrong time to spend this much money, questioning why the council would spend $4-5 million just on planning when the 50m pool would cost $9 million.
He said the community could not afford the borrowing costs the council would incur when interest rates and cost of living were already so high.
“It doesn’t actually deliver us anything. $4 million worth of spending without a pool,” he said.
“We want to get the pool in as soon as possible. The time for talk is over.
“The can has been kicked down the road but we’ve reached the end of the road and we need to get this in place.
“We need to build the (50m) pool initially and then find funding for the rest of the project at a later date.
“We cannot afford to wait for possible grant funding.
“The community is telling me they want a pool as soon as possible.”
Councillor Karen Toms said she believed the Grafton community wanted “more than just a pool” and the council should be prepared to borrow money to “get cracking”.
She said the pool would not be closed “full stop” but it would be “negligent” and “not following our duty of care” to keep the existing pool open.
Ms Toms questioned how the council could afford not to move ahead with the redevelopment so the community could have what it “deserved”.
“They want the aquatic centre to be completed as soon as possible,” she said.
”There’s nothing wrong with borrowing money. If we wait, and don’t borrow money, and continue to wait for state and federal grants, like we’ve been doing for six years, the costs will not only go up, the disruption to our community will go on, we won’t have a Grafton Aquatic Centre for many years.
”If we bite the bullet and borrow the money … if we need $10m, 5 per cent over 25 years is $702,000, or $15m is $1.054m.
“Yes that’s a lot but our community deserves this aquatic centre. They don’t deserve to be mucked around for years for a second-rate centre that’s half built.
”If we don’t make a decision, we will just drag this on and there’ll be disruption after disruption.”
Ms Tom said the council tightened its belt last financial year to pay down debt — reducing from $130m to $96m – so it could afford to borrow money.
She said that was “not a lot of money for a community of our size” and the debt would be split over 25 years.
“Shouldn’t we deliver something you can be proud of, not piecemeal?” she asked.
“If we can’t afford them now, when will we ever be able to afford them?”
Cr Greg Clancy said previous councils had been burnt badly during the Global Financial Crisis and he could understand why people were nervous about borrowing large amounts of money.
He said he believed the council recommendations would produce “the best outcome without going into serious debt”.
Cr Allison Whaites said having a pool was vital for kids to learn to swim in a riverside community and if funding could not be secured, then the council need to get a loan.
“If we do it bit by bit, it prolongs the disruption, inflation of material costs and labour,” she said.
Mayor Ian Tiley suggested State Government grant funding was likely as NSW edges towards a State Election in March 2023.
Catastrophic failures
Council officers recommended existing closing the existing pool facility in Grafton to begin redeveloping the whole site “due to the risk of catastrophic failure caused by the undermining effects of the significant water loss and the increasing operational and maintenance costs”.
“Based on the results and advice from aquatic design specialists and engineers, it was concluded that there were minimal cost benefits in proceeding with renovating the existing pool structures verses the construction of a new pool,” a report before the council reads.
“In addition, the expected life cycle cost of the asset is dramatically increased with the construction of new pools.”
Water consumption in the past financial year cost more than $187,000, more than triple the previous financial year, with leaks costing about $15,000 a year to fix.
“Despite multiple investigations and repairs, the water loss from the pools has become an increasing liability in recent years,” the report says.
“Repairs have generally been carried out on the box gutters under the pool; the scum gutters;
the pool basin; delivery pipes and valves; and the balance tank.
“As a general action to limit water loss, tiling renewal works are completed on an annual basis for all loose, broken or drummy tiles at a cost of approximately $15,000 per year.
“The pavement and concourse surrounding the pool structures has been moving for many years, with works completed annually to grind or fill the hazard.
“During the 2020-21 season closure, engineering consultants … (reported) a large void was discovered during maintenance.
“Their advice confirmed ‘the slab is concluded to be inadequate to support the required loading … failure would consist of cracking and deflection of the slab’.
“Catastrophic or sudden failure would not be expected but may be possible.
“The slab would not be expected to support any vehicle loading”.
More than 1800 people have signed a Save Grafton Memorial Pool petition which is also before the council today.
The pool has been subject to intense debate for years but intensified when news broke the pool might not reopen for the 2022-23 season.
The petition asks the council to take “immediate action in regard to prioritising the issues concerning Grafton Memorial Pool”, noting that the pool is “the social highlight of summertime”.
The group describes it is a place for ‘water safety, training, social interaction, exercise, disability inclusion, stress relief, school competition, it serves the need for many people with medical conditions or a disability’s offering low impact exercise, a place of competition and camaraderie, brings divers groups together, opportunity to learn lifeguarding skills,
work experience and to work summer jobs’.
Council recommendations
A report submitted on the condition of the pool in September recommended the council shut down the pool for the rest of the financial year and undertake further geotechnical investigation.
Council officers recommend committing $3.8 million in funds to delivering Stage 1 of the redevelopment proposal, which is currently unfunded and will cost an estimated $15 million.
“If the pool does not reopen in the 2022-23 swimming season, there are implications to a range of stakeholders including the contract manager, their pool manager and casual staff,” the report reads.
“Staff training and lifeguard renewal certification has already been completed.
“In addition to staff, there are swimming clubs, schools and the community who will also be significantly impacted.
“Group bookings have already been taken for end-of year functions, school carnivals and swimming lessons.
“At this stage, all bookings have been cancelled to October 31, 2022.”
In a submission to the council, Grafton Public School’s P&C secretary Amber Biggs described the pool as “an integral part of life at Grafton Public School”, and an “important part of the community”, with kids unable to get onto long waitlists at other swim schools in Grafton or afford the travel to Maclean or Glenreagh.
Councillor Debrah Novak, in a Facebook post on Monday, labelled a decision to reopen the pool as “criminal” because insurance could be pulled from the ageing facility.
She said the council’s insurance provider recommended the pool not open due to “the high risk of catastrophic failure”.
Ms Novak also referred to the intense scrutiny Clarence Valley Council had come under in terms of its management of the pool, calling it “disappointing to see some members of our community take cheap shots at CVC staff”.
“It’s not rocket science to understand the pool will need to be closed to build something this new and amazing,” she said about the masterplan for redevelopment.
Clarence Valley Council has been given a recommendation to seek state and federal funding, and made an application for more than $15 million under the state Government’s Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund, but was unsuccessful.
“There has not been a suitable funding program identified by council yet – for these sorts of projects, we need grant funding and it hasn’t been forthcoming”, Councillor Karen Toms said last month.
A spokeswoman for outgoing state MP Chris Gulaptis said the council had a policy for many years of avoiding borrowing, but had recently paid down almost a third of its previous obligations.
“Council is just going to have to bite the bullet (and borrow money)” Ms Toms said.
Council officers have also recommended further investigation and consultation on the need for the inclusion of a dive pool in Stage 2 and funding for a grandstand in the new pool precinct’s master plan.
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