Katherine Aquatic Centre: $10m fix en route after shell failure, but no firm date on reopening

A Northern Territory council is scrambling to expedite a fix for its 50m lap pool after the creaking infrastructure finally gave out. It has a $10m grant up its sleeve, but warns this will only go so far.

Katherine Aquatic Centre. Picture: Katherine Town Council

The Katherine Aquatic Centre will be closed for the foreseeable future after the beleaguered shell of its 43-year-old lap pool cracked.

Katherine Town Council announced the closure via its social media channels earlier this month.

“We understand that closing the pool will cause some upset for a while, but we do have some significant work to do to bring it up to standards,” it said.

“Please remember it was built 43 years ago and it has finally failed.

“Whilst we would like to have given more notice of the official close day, we have been talking about this for two years now.”

The cracking of the shell “happened sooner than we would have liked or were prepared for”, council said.

“We are still waiting for confirmation of the timeline but do anticipate it will be several months before swimming will recommence,” it said.

Berrimah-based construction firm Sitzler, which built the original pool, would commence surveying work “within the month”.

Katherine Mayor Elisabeth Clark. Picture: Sierra Haigh

Katherine Mayor Elisabeth Clark told the NT News council was in receipt of a $10m commonwealth grant, but it would not stretch as far as any in the community would like in light of ongoing material and labour inflation within the construction centre.

She said the grant would likely cover repairs to the shell, compliance upgrades to the wading pool, a new, heated 25m with diving facilities, and new plant such as pumps.

The Katherine ‘Turtles’ Swimming Club has been relocated to the pool at RAAF Base Tindal for the duration of the repairs.

Ms Clark said it remained unclear how long the pool would be closed for.

“We’re not sure how long it will take. We’re hoping by the end of the year, but you just don’t know, there are so many variables depending on the wet season,” she said.

Ms Clark said there would be a round of community consultation before designs are finalised for the new 25m pool and other upgrades.

“Some people want to have big water slides, but we only have enough funding to fix our existing infrastructure and add a new pool,” she said.

“We don’t have the money to go out there and do much extra.”