Temporary closure of Drysdale pool

THE North Bellarine Aquatic Centre (NBAC) will close temporarily in April to allow construction works on stage two of the facility.

Led by Ireland Brown Constructions, the expansion will include an indoor eight-lane 25-metre pool, warm water pool, a gym and other health and wellness facilities, and a café.

In a statement, the City of Greater Geelong said the whole facility would need to be closed from between mid to late April through to mid October – exact dates have not been supplied – to ensure the safety of pool users, staff and the worksite.

To minimise disruption, the works will take place during a quieter period for the facility when member usage drops over the cooler months.

Critical works include pouring the concrete slab, installing ground beams, setting up structural steel with high-risk crane lifts, and earthworks.

Essential upgrades to existing pool infrastructure include new connections to pool pipework, accessible ramp connections, concrete paving, links to the stage one façade and weather proofing.

Cr Rowan Story said community health and safety was the top priority.

“We understand that this short-term closure will be an inconvenience, so we thank the community for its patience.

“The upcoming shutdown marks an exciting milestone for the much-anticipated stage two indoor facility.

“It will allow construction to ramp up with no risk to pool users and give crews uninterrupted access to the existing plant equipment, which will be used to operate the indoor centre.”

He said community members could stay updated about the project’s process via the city’s social media channels and the project page.

“Don’t forget, members have access to all of our other Swim, Sport and Leisure centres through their membership, including the nearby Bellarine Aquatic and Sports Centre and Splashdown Leisure Centre.”

Stage one of NBAC, with an outdoor 50m pool, was supported by $10 million from the federal government (pledged by the Coalition ahead of the 2019 election) and $5.5 million from the City of Greater Geelong.

Stage two is supported by $20 million each from the state Labor and federal Labor governments amd as much as $300,000 from the city.

The proposed closure perioid follows community and political backlash to the city’s original plan to close the pool between April and October, with councillors resolving instead in May last year to keep NBAC open all year long.