Will someone reinvent ‘sad, uninviting’ Lismore Lake Pool?

THE council has agreed to ask whether anyone in the community is prepared to take it on.

The Lismore Lake Pool is in a state of disrepair after being closed.

LISMORE CITY COUNCIL is set to open up expressions of interest on the Lismore Lake Pool after their meeting on Tuesday.

The pool had become an eyesore for passers-by after the facility was shut down a decade ago and the the council has struggled to find funds to do something with it.

Now that looks to have changed after councillors voted to take expressions of interest from community groups to run the site.

Deputy Mayor Neil Marks bought forward the motion and it was carried with councillors Ekins, Smith, Cook, Bird, Moorehouse and Marks all in favour. Councillors Casson, Guise and Lloyd were against the motion.

Cr Marks said examples existed within the local community which showed this could work.

"I remember when there was the great debate over the fountain, there were engineers reports put together by the Lions Club … there are organisations out there that have builders, constructors, engineers and those sorts of organisations could put something together," he said.

Some councillors questioned the wording of the motion and whether there would be protections to ensure the Lismore Lake Pool remained a pool and was not converted into a different facility, like a jumping castle, as Mayor Isaac Smith said.

"Your entire notice of motion is leasing the land out of the lake pool for five years to do what you will cause that doesn't not tell me to reinstate the lake pool," Cr Casson said.

Cr Marks agreed that the lake pool needed to be protected given the community loved it.

"We need to protect it and we need to have those protections built into the leasing or gifting arrangements … it is a part of the community and should remain part of the community," Cr Marks said.

"Until we ask the question, we don't get any answers, the only answer is we have got a concrete dish out there which looks sad and uninviting."

Previously speaking to The Northern Star, Cr Marks said that the motion allowed the community to take a leading part in the refurbishment of the facility.

>>> SEE MORE: POSSIBLE LIFELINE FOR LAKE POOL