Coker urges city to take the plunge on pool

CORANGAMITE Labor federal member Libby Coker is calling on the community to write to City of Greater Geelong councillors in support of a pool for the North Bellarine.

Ms Coker, who carried out a letterbox drop about the pool at the weekend, said she had received strong feedback that the community was keen to seize the $10 million funding opportunity.

Then-Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson from the Liberals made the $10 million pledge during the 2019 election campaign. Although Ms Henderson lost her seat, the Liberals won the election so the commitment is still on the table.

Ms Coker has held community meetings about the pool and has also been working with the North Bellarine Aquatic Centre Advocacy Group.

While acknowledging that the funding was limited to a 50 metre outdoor pool, Ms Coker said it was important that the City of Greater Geelong council made the most of the opportunity and got work started on the project, with planning to develop a more comprehensive precinct once the first stage (a heated outdoor pool) had been put in place.

“The North Bellarine is a rapidly growing community that has relatively few facilities. It is vital that council provide the infrastructure that is needed for the future.

“The Government’s 2019 election commitment of funding for an outdoor pool in the North Bellarine may not deliver everything, but if it takes into consideration the community’s needs it will, in the longer term, bring significant benefits to local residents, across all age groups.”

“The development of the pool precinct should be in stages, commencing with an outdoor pool, with year-round use suitable to all age groups. However, it should incorporate the infrastructure and space for a Stage 2 as further funding becomes available.

“This should also be focused on providing facilities that are useful to the whole community – for instance, an indoor learn to swim and 25 metre pool, hydrotherapy, childcare and rehabilitation and gym facilities.”

In the lead up to the release of a state government-funded scoping study about the pool, Ms Coker said she had written to the council urging them to make the decision to take the funding as quickly as possible.