Residents unite for renewed push to get controversial aquatic centre built on the Mornington Peninsula
DEDICATED residents are diving back into a long-running campaign to build an aquatic centre on the southern peninsula.
South East
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DEDICATED residents are diving back into a long-running campaign to build an aquatic centre on the southern peninsula.
A group of six attended last week’s Mornintgon Peninsula Shire council meeting armed with towels and questions for the council about the controversial project.
Of the 13 questions asked during public question time, four concerned the pool project, which stalled in 2014 after a plan to build it on the Rosebud foreshore was scrapped.
The questions included when a Southern Aquatic Centre would be on the council agenda, where it ranked in the council’s priorities and if a public/private partnership would be considered.
Mornington Peninsula Shire chief operating officer Alison Leighton responded to the questions, saying the new council would be briefed as soon as possible on the pool project.
She said all options, including the possibility of a partnership would be considered.
Capel Sound resident Betty Preston said at the meeting she planned to keep raising the topic as often as possible.
“Ideally we’d ask about it at every public question time to keep it front of mind,” she said.
Ms Preston, who has been lobbying for the pool for about 20 years, said she had been waiting for the new council to settle in before raising the topic again.
“To be honest, I was so deflated when the foreshore pool failed, I didn’t have the energy to continue the fight,” she said. “But it’s a new council and I’ve had a break from it for a few years and I’m ready to get cracking again.”
Forty residents from across the southern peninsula have pledged to join Ms Preston, and she is planning to start a formal committee.
“I’m hoping to meet the council next month to start the conversation,” she said.
Ms Preston said she had “moved on” from the fight to build a pool on the foreshore.
“I would like it in Rosebud as I think it needs to be close to the hospital for those wanting to use a hydrotherapy pool, but I don’t have any set location in mind,” she said.
In September 2014, councillors voted to investigate building a 25m public pool, change rooms, shops and other facilities, along with council offices, at the Rosebud Central shopping centre site at Wannaeue Place.