Clarence Regional Aquatic Centre on track for opening before Christmas but work still underway
Residents and visitors in the Clarence are set to receive an early Christmas present as workers push through hundreds on millimetres of rain to get a new public pool opened.
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Residents and visitors in the Clarence Valley are set to receive an early Christmas present as workers push through hundreds on millimetres of rain to get a new public pool opened.
The new Clarence Regional Aquatic Centre 50m competition pool is due to be open by the time festivities roll around.
An indoor program and leisure pool and a splash pad are also due to opened in the new year, according to Clarence Valley Council.
Grafton Olympic Pool served the community for more than six decades, before repairs became too costly and the council moved to renew the community’s pool.
More than 1800 people signed a petition to save their beloved pool, but its gates were shut in September 2022.
Historic items from the old pool were put up for auction in May last year, ranging from change room cubicles to fibreglass umbrellas and the region’s nostalgic waterslide.
The beloved pool was representative of pools built throughout the country around the time of the 1956 Summer Olympics being held in Melbourne.
Grafton Olympic Pool was built following the drowning of 13 boy scouts in the Clarence on December 11, 1943. It is often referred to as a “memorial” pool.
The council decided to name the indoor pool at the new facility the Grafton Cub Scout Memorial Indoor Pool in honour of the boys, as the cost of the project has blown out to more than $29.5 million
The council’s general manager Laura Black thanked contractors who have been toiling on the project six days each week. About 300mm of rain has fallen in the region in recent days.
“The work that has been put in over the last year has been nothing short of incredible so it’s important to recognise not only Hines Construction but our local contractors as well,” she said.
“So far, 128.3 tonnes of structural steel, 270.34 tonnes of reinforcement and 1963.9 cubic metres of concrete have gone into bringing this vision to life.
“These local contractors include Ben McLennan Construction, Big River Glass, Gray’s Bricklaying, Nat Sewell Concreting, Parry’s Earthmoving, Rick Winters Construction, Todd Lewis Plastering, Wicks & Parker, and Zeal Joinery with each of them having a pivotal role in creating an exceptional facility for our community.”
The facility will host regional competitions sections and the council has promised the facility will be as accessible and inclusive to all as possible.
The council has also been looking for a manager “for the exciting opportunity to run the new Regional Aquatic Centre over a three-year term contract”.
Other roles have been advertised too, including customer service, lifeguard, operations and supervisory positions.
More information is available on the council’s website.
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