Council remains committed to seeing the heritage-listed Maryborough Outdoor Pool complex re-opened for community use, with a tender to upgrade the octagonal pool awarded at this week’s Council Meeting.
Council awarded a $1,376,510 contract to SJ Weir Ballarat Pty Ltd to see an entirely new pool shell constructed, recovery of as many of the original tiles as possible and repairs to the concourse. Council will use Victorian Government funding – announced in 2020 to deliver the project.
Council has worked closely with Heritage Victoria to ensure the significance of the complex is maintained – with the Heritage Victoria permit already in place and ready for works to start.
Council continues to work behind the scenes to plan and advocate for the money needed to restore the entire precinct so that it can be re-opened for the community to enjoy.
In July last year, Council endorsed a report on the future of the heritage-listed Maryborough 50 metre pool after it was identified that the condition of the pool had declined since the previous assessment in April 2021. It was determined that the pool had reached the ‘end of life’ stage meaning it is not safe to re-open until the pool is demolished and rebuilt.
Central Goldfields Shire Maryborough Ward Councillor Geoff Lovett said Council was committed to doing everything it can to see the Maryborough Outdoor Pool rebuilt and re-opened as soon as possible for the community to enjoy.
“Whilst it is of course fantastic that we are able to now push ahead with the octagonal pool rebuild, we realise our community will be disappointed and will still be focused on when this much-loved community facility will re-open.
“Unfortunately, the re-opening of the outdoor pool is not going to happen overnight, but rest assured that the project remains one of our priority projects, and we are doing everything we can behind the scenes to make this happen as soon as possible.
“Behind the scenes we continue to advocate tirelessly to State and Federal governments for the multi-million dollars needed to rebuild this heritage listed, recreation and sporting icon. We’ll be submitting an expression of interest for the funding we need for this to happen through the Federal Government’s Growing Regions Fund which opens in July, as well as advocating for any funding that might be available through the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
“We’re also busy doing all the planning we need to do now so that when these funding streams do open, we have a shovel ready project that is ready to go.
“The octagonal pool project is the first step towards this. We’ll also shortly appoint a heritage architect to scope the pavilion project and a separate tender will also be advertised shortly for priority repairs to conserve the main entrance building.
“This all contributes to us being another step closer to seeing our beloved outdoor pool re-developed for future generations to enjoy.”
Council has worked closely with heritage conservators to research the best method to reclaim the existing tiles of the octagonal pool which involved researchers at Melbourne University to undertake specialised experiments with sections of the tiles.
A conservator will work with the project team to oversee the reclamation of the historic tiles with the aim to conserve as many tiles as possible. The reclaimed tiles will be suitably displayed to recognise their historical significance.
The tiles in the rebuild of the octagonal pool have been chosen to be in-keeping with the original design.