After decades of waiting swimming groups who use the Armadale Aquatic Centre are ecstatic the City of Armadale will finally start work on designing an all year undercover facility.
At their May 23 council meeting, councillors agreed to bring forward $1 million in borrowings by three years to include in next year’s budget to get the design of the facility underway.
The project has been on the city’s long term financial plan for many years and a major upgrade was scheduled to commence in 2018-19.
The city believed bringing the design period ahead three years would improve chances of federal funding in the wake of rejected grant applications.
Armadale mayor Henry Zelones said the city has been seeking federal funding under theDepartment of Infrastructure and Regional Development’s National Stronger Regions Fund (NSRF) program.
“Our community has been so patient on this and the council has been prudent in its approach, closing the Kelmscott pool in 2004 and commencing a staged upgrade of our remaining centre in 2010,” he said.
“We are convinced that every barrier to the project should now be removed and have been bitterly disappointed that it was not successful in earlier rounds of NSRF funding,” he said.
“So we are committing to the first $1 million of expenditure to complete design and documentation immediately. That should remove any doubt in the minds of the
Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development that we are shovel ready and can complete the project within the NSRF guidelines.”
Armadale Water Walkers secretary Pam Jenkinson welcomed the news and said their club and its members had suffered for a long time having to close during winter.
“A lot of our members are elderly and a lot of them are post operative, knee operations and post stroke and arthritis and things like that and need to do walking for their rehab,” she said.
“When winter comes some of them just stop and others go to other facilities.
“Some go and don’t come back, which is a shame.
“These people do need this facility all year round for their general wellbeing and health.”
Armadale Kelmscott Swimming Club president Patty Blackwell said it was a definite positive they were moving to the design phase.
“It feels like it’s been on their 10 -year plan for 30 years,” she said.
“Most of our children chose to do winter sports so we’re on hold until summer and we can restart again.
“We know of one member already that’s had to go to another club because he wants to continue being competitive.
“Every season we don’t know how many members we’re going to get back.”
Member for Armadale Tony Buti handed the city a 3158 signature petition in 2014 calling for upgrades to be completed by 2015.
He welcomed the council’s move.
“The sooner we can get a swimming pol that’s accessible 12 months of the year I think is something that should be supported,” he said.
Tenders for lead design consultancy services for the Armadale Aquatic Centre redevelopment will be sought in July.
