Grafton pool to receive reallocated council funds after Clarence Valley Council meeting

Councillors have engaged in a heated battle over strategies for the Grafton pool redevelopment as a longrunning saga drags on. Here’s the latest.

The Grafton Olympic Pool is on the Clarence Valley Council's agenda for a major redevelopment.

The saga of the ageing Grafton pool has continued, with councillors battling over the funding arrangements and strategy to replace the historic landmark.

Grafton is already set to swelter this summer after Clarence Valley Council staff recommended in September that the opening of the Olympic Pool be delayed.

The pool, which is more than six decades old, closes during winter and usually opens around the spring school holidays, but its poor condition means that is untenable.

Councillors have already voted to commit to a $27.5 million redevelopment, but squabbles have now arisen about the proposed funding strategy for the precinct.

Proposals have been made to split the proposed Stage 1 (costing $24m) into staggered phases. Cr Johnston said that “provides opportunities to get grants in future”.

Artist's impression of the Olympic Pool in Stage One of the Grafton Pool Redevelopment

“I would hope that interest rates come down in the future”, he said.

Cr Pickering was critical of the proposal to stagger Stage 1 of the development.

He said the Aquatic Centre precinct was promised as far back as the shutdown of Ulmarra Pool and scaling down “won’t be what the community have been promised”.

“If we only build the 50 metre outdoor pool, it will only be open for four months, and the return on investment is limited,” he said.

“Stage 1 as proposed is heated and open all year”.

Council voted on two motions to redirect funding from other areas towards the redevelopment of the pool.

The first motion redirected $882,000 in proceeds from the sale of the South Grafton Visitor Information Centre to the redevelopment of the pool.

The money was previously destined to be used on economic development.

Grafton pool is in dire need of an upgrade.

The second motion was to lodge a request with the Department of Regional New South Wales to transfer $11.1m in bushfire recovery funds originally allocated to the Treelands Drive Community Centre project in Yamba to the Grafton pool.

Cr Toms was particularly passionate about securing immediate funding for the pool.

He said that “for far too long our council has relied on magical money that comes from the grant gods”.

“This is an intergenerational facility that we’re talking about,” he said.

Cr Day spoke in support of the motion and said “a huge benefit of the motion will be that the majority of the pool will be replaced (completely)”.

“Without it, much of the pool will need to be renovated - this motion will provide a smooth transition,” he said.

“We shouldn’t be afraid to deliver what the community needs.”

Cr Novak was at pains to clarify the funding for Treelands Dr was not specifically allocated, and was intended as economic stimulus.

“The Grafton pool cannot take a band-aid solution - it needs to be fixed now”, she said.

“The Treelands Drive Community Centre is not broken.

“The previous council paid down an enormous amount of debt so that we could maybe do something like this in the future”.

Council voted 5-4 to redirect the funds from the sale of the visitor centre, and 7-2 in favour of the reallocation of Treelands Dr funds, with Mayor Tiley and Clr Johnston dissenting.