East Gippsland Shire Council resolved to commission an independent safety inspection of the Bairnsdale Outdoor Pool and start development of a new East Gippsland Aquatic Strategy to guide the future of the Bairnsdale Outdoor Pool site and plan for aquatic facilities across the shire at its meeting last Tuesday night.
The Bairnsdale Outdoor Pool, built in 1969, has been a valued community facility for almost 60 years.
However, ageing infrastructure, increasing maintenance costs, and significant safety concerns mean that it currently presents a very real risk for council.
Around 70 members of the Bairnsdale and district community attended the meeting, signifying the community’s desire to keep the pool open.
The proposed decision by council to perhaps close the pool has shocked the community and it is community leaders such as Anne Cross, Andrea Savage and Stephanie Buckland-Harms who are leading the campaign to keep the outdoor pool open for the health and wellbeing of all of residents.
“The community spoke up and turned out in droves to support saving the outdoor pool, and the councillors listened. Bairnsdale Outdoor Pool is an important, valued community asset and space,” Ms Buckland-Harms said.
“The council report tabled to councillors ahead of the meeting refers to a 2015 Aquatic Strategy as the source of the recommendation to effectively run a multi-million dollar asset into the ground, close the pool after 10 years and focus investment at the Bairnsdale Aquatic Recreation Centre (BARC).
“All with no further community consultation on this direction, revisiting what closure of the outdoor pool will mean for Bairnsdale and importantly – no succession plan for what comes next for Bairnsdale, despite accepting the pool is nearing its ‘end of life’.
“EGSC is using this Strategy as the source of their narrative.
“However, despite requesting it, we have not seen this document and therefore cannot see or understand what community said 10 years ago nor the full extent of the Strategy’s recommendations.
“As a pregnant woman who will be heavily pregnant in summer, I am concerned there will be nowhere safe and accessible for me to cool down and weightlessly swim outside. I am concerned that my baby will not be exposed to safe swimming outside for years to come.
“No doubt there are many other pregnant women with similar concerns to me, and I know many young children who would be devastated if the pool doesn’t re-open this summer, or in summers to come.
“And sadly, their voices, the voices of our future, have been absent from council’s narrative on the outdoor pool.
“That aside, one of the biggest wins is that the community of Bairnsdale is back in the narrative, and our goal is to stay here.
“We have plenty of ideas of how we can support and work with council to re-open the pool for the 2025-26 summers and beyond, promote and increase visitation and work on the new aquatic strategy together.
“We are here and ready to work with council.”
At the end of council deliberations last Tuesday, Cr Bernie Farquhar moved a motion to:
1. Commission an independent safety inspection and detailed report on the outdoor pool.
2. Request that officers obtain quotes for any necessary repairs or upgrades identified through the inspection to ensure the facilities are compliant with occupational health and safety legislation.
3. Endorse a new East Gippsland Aquatic Strategy to determine the future of the Bairnsdale outdoor pool site and future planning of aquatic facilities in the shire and undertake comprehensive community engagement.
That motion was carried unanimously by councillors.
But the question remains: will the be pool be open this season?
