Katherine Aquatic Centre repairs pushed out to October 2025, cost blowout probable

The sourcing of high-quality pool linings from Italy will delay the redevelopment of the 43-year-old pool, which failed earlier this year, while confidence the $10m funding will cut it is fading.

Site works at the Katherine Aquatic Centre as of September 2024. Picture: Katherine Town Council

Katherine Town Council’s $10m redevelopment of its Aquatic Centre, which closed earlier this year when the pool shell failed, is now not expected to be complete until late 2025 due to supply constraints in the sourcing of new liners.

The pool closed until further notice in March after the infrastructure at the ageing pool finally gave out.

After a round of community consultation, it was determined the redevelopment would include a new 50m pool, a 25m heated pool with accessibility ramp, diving blocks on the deep end and a ledge for learn-to-swim classes, a splash zone with play area, and new plant and equipment rooms.

Originally, Katherine Mayor Lis Clark was hopeful there could be a return to swimming before the end of the current Dry, although did add the timeline was a little uncertain.

Now, according to the council’s latest project update, issued in November, the redevelopment is not expected to be complete until October 2025.

Katherine Aquatic Centre closed in March after infrastructure failure. Picture: Katherine Town Council

“The contractors have advised that both pool liners have been sourced from overseas (Italy), so the delivery will take longer than anticipated,” the update stated.

“We estimate the new opening date will be around October 2025.”

Meanwhile, the council’s confidence that the redevelopment could be delivered within its $10m budget, money which was provided by the commonwealth under its Priority Community Infrastructure Program, has evaporated.

Councillors were told in October the proposed splash zone had been cut from the proposal as the $10m grant wouldn’t cover it.

The mooted splash zone no longer forms a part of the council’s plans. Picture: Liquid Blu

“Funds for the splash zone is being investigated,” the meeting minutes recorded.

When contacted on Thursday, Ms Clark said the project financials remained tinged with uncertainty.

“We’re not sure about that as yet, we’ll need to assess as it goes on,” she said.

“It would be great to have more [money].”

Katherine Mayor Lis Clark and Katherine MLA Jo Hersey. Picture: Facebook

In June, Katherine MLA and now CLP minister Jo Hersey warned there was Buckley’s chance of the project being delivered within budget – Ms Clark refuted that claim – and called on the council to contribute money towards the redevelopment, which it may now have to do anyway.

Should a cost blowout transpire, it will heap further financial pressure on the council, which recently took out a $5m loan facility to fund a redevelopment of its Civic Centre headquarters.

This masthead previously reported the roof is on the verge of failing, while the building is also non-compliant in a number of ways, such as its lack of disability access.

The Civic Centre redevelopment will also place pressure on council finances. Picture: Alex Treacy

Ms Clark said the council was still in the planning and consultation phase for the building’s redevelopment, with municipal staff again having to deploy buckets in recent weeks to manage a number of leaks in the roof.

She said a contingency plan was in place for if the roof totally failed before the redevelopment was able to progress.

Originally published as Katherine Aquatic Centre repairs pushed out to October 2025, cost blowout probable