By Michael Newhouse
MORE than a week into the FINA World Swimming Championships, the State Government and Brimbank City Council are still in negotiation over funding arrangements for Sunshine’s long-awaited outdoor pool.
The Government has promised to pay for the installation of the 25-metre outdoor pool, which will be constructed using panels from the pool at Rod Laver Arena when the championships are over.
With less than a week to go before the end of the swimming championships, council is pushing for a speedy resolution to the deadlock.
Brimbank mayor Margaret Giudice told Star: “It needs to be sorted out very, very quickly because the world championships are closing very, very quickly.”
Although the close of the world championships represents a deadline of sorts – the pool will be dismantled after the championships finish on 1 April – a decision on a funding agreement between council and the Government might not be reached until after the closing date of the championships.
“We’ve told them that the community was expecting that they fully fund the pool as the community was expecting, and we’re still waiting on the minister’s office to see what’s happening,” Cr Giudice said on Friday.
Cr Giudice and Sports Minister James Merlino met earlier this month to discuss the funding arrangements, after a government-funded feasibility study put the cost of the pool at more than $3 million.
But questions remain over who will foot the bill for additional features included in the feasibility study’s costings, such as landscaping, outdoor toilets and change rooms.
In October, Henry Barlow, then a Labor candidate for the Western Metropolitan Region in the Legislative Council, made an announcement on behalf of the then Sports Minister Justin Madden. Mr Barlow said the Government would fully fund the 25-metre outdoor pool, which many in the Sunshine community interpret as including the extra facilities.
Star understands the council is still working in close contact with representatives from the Mr Merlino’s office.
Mr Merlino told Star the discussions were progressing.
“It’s important for us and for council to make sure we get this right before moving forward and I’m confident that we will be able to make an announcement on this wonderful community project in the near future,” he said.
