Warrnambool City Council yet to make a splash on promised AquaZone study

More than 15 months after the council said it would conduct a study into the future of the facility, and despite promises work would begin by the end of last year, nothing appears to have been done.

The council now says work would start "soon" with a consultant expected to be appointed this financial year.

The failure to start the study was labelled "disappointing" by Cr Angie Paspaliaris at Monday's council meeting.

She said the future of the ageing facility was a clear priority for councillors.

"I'm quite disappointed that given that this council has clearly expressed one of council's priority projects - being what happens to AquaZone - that an aquatic strategy is still yet to be started," Cr Paspaliaris told the public meeting.

"I know that it's on the cards but it's just clearly been taking a long time.

"I am disappointed..."

Her comments come almost 12 months after Cr Ben Blain urged the council to "get moving" on the strategy that had been touted in December 2021.

"We've been slow off the mark," Cr Blain said this week. "If we're going to realise this thing, we need to get moving."

Cr Blain said getting a new facility would be a five to 10-year project and "we haven't even started".

He said if the council didn't get to work on it, they couldn't advocate for the project.

"It's disappointing."

During his election campaign in 2020, Cr Blain called for the council to look at a revamp for the ageing pool with state-of-the-art facilities and a waterslide.

The council flagged in December 2021 it had set aside $200,000 for a feasibility study into AquaZone.

And the May 2022 council meeting was told work was expected to start in the second half of last year and would look at whether a new AquaZone facility would be located on the same site or a greenfields site.

The city council said it would begin the process this financial year of engaging a consultant to help prepare an aquatic centre strategy to "reimagine the facilities needed to support recreational and competitive swimming into the future".

"The strategy will support any future bids for funding and will be informed by best-practice examples and community consultation," a council spokesman said.

"Council is looking to explore all options to find the best fit for the needs of our growing city."

New figures in the council agenda this week revealed that AquaZone had made a slow but strong return after being forced to close during the COVID-19 pandemic with projected attendances for the year now at 57,500 above last year.

There were about 1020 students enrolled in its Learn to Swim program and memberships grew to 830.

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