THE Colac Otway Shire has taken the plunge towards an indoor heated pool in Apollo Bay, deciding to commit $200,000 each year towards the proposal.<\/p>\n
The commitment came at the shire\u2019s March meeting (held in Apollo Bay) and responded to a business case put forward by the Apollo Bay Aquatic Centre Committee.<\/p>\n
Under the committee\u2019s proposal, the existing outdoor pool would be enclosed and heated to provide year-round swimming opportunities to the coastal community.<\/p>\n
Shire mayor Joe McCracken said the council\u2019s commitment to contribute to the ongoing operational costs gave the committee more certainty to move forward with their plans for the pool.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community has so far raised more than $250,000 to go towards the capital cost of enclosing the current pool, which is part of the Apollo Bay P-12 College.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to acknowledge the work of the volunteer committee, in particular Jane Gross, who has been a steadfast campaigner for an indoor heated pool in Apollo Bay for the better part of 20 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cCouncil agreed to make an annual contribution of $200,000 towards the ongoing costs of running the pool, with the operations to be overseen by the school in partnership with the committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis contribution is subject to the committee securing the capital funding required to complete the enclosure of the pool.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a significant step forward for the Apollo Bay community, which has been striving to achieve an indoor pool facility since 2000.<\/p>\n
Cr McCracken said the council was pleased to be able to give some surety to Apollo Bay people about the future of an indoor pool for the town.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving year-round indoor swimming opportunities will benefit people of all ages from young people learning how to swim, to older adults looking for non-impact opportunities to exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n
The $200,000 will be made available once the pool is enclosed and fully operational, and is conditional on the pool being available to the community for a minimum of 20 hours per week.<\/p>\n
Under the resolution adopted by the council, the school and pool committee will report back annually on the pool\u2019s operation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Colac Otway Shire has taken the plunge towards an indoor heated pool in Apollo Bay, deciding to commit $200,000 each year towards the proposal. The commitment came at the shire\u2019s March meeting (held in Apollo Bay) and responded to a business case put forward by the Apollo Bay Aquatic Centre Committee. Under the committee\u2019s […]<\/p>\n