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Clarence Valley Council, a local government area in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, has advised that two additional funding streams have been earmarked to help fund the Clarence Valley Regional Aquatic Centre.

Council resolved in October to commit $3,830,545 to the redevelopment and commence a two-stage selective tender process. The latest decisions from the Ordinary Council Meeting at Grafton Council Chambers on Tuesday (22 Nov) could see available funds grow to a total of $15,820,427 towards the project, which is estimated to cost between $20-25 million.

Councillors voted 5-4 to redirect the $882,000 in proceeds from the sale of the South Grafton Visitor Information Centre quarantined for Economic Development and Tourism to the redevelopment of the pool facility.

Councillors also voted 7-2 to lodge a request with the Department of Regional NSW to transfer the $11,107,882 in Bushfire Local Economic Recovery (BLER) funds originally allocated to Treelands Drive Community Centre (TDCC) to the pool project.

“Council is absolutely committed as its highest priority to provide a pool in North Grafton as soon as humanly possible,” Mayor Ian Tiley said this week.

“Council expressed it is still committed to doing the Treelands Drive upgrade, and a report at the December meeting will put forward the available options.

“The transfer of BLER is intended to expedite construction of the Regional Aquatic Centre to reduce the length of closure. Tenders have been called and it is anticipated the centre will be open to the public in December 2024.”

Clarence Valley Council will coordinate several activities in Grafton this summer to compensate for the closure of Grafton Olympic Pool.

At the October meeting councillors unanimously endorsed the allocation of $70,000 to create Summer Splash - a program of subsidised activities for Clarence Valley residents as alternatives to the swimming pool.

Clarence Valley Council General Manager, Laura Black commented “the Clarence Valley will soon be home to a state-of-the-art aquatic centre replacing the current, dilapidated pool which was built in 1959.

“We understand the temporary closure to build this new facility impacts numerous clubs, community groups, schools and residents who utilise the facility every summer. This is why our Open Spaces, Community Industry and Engagement, Community Development and Grafton Regional Gallery staff have worked together to come up with these ideas that go some way to filling that void.”

More details about Summer Splash will be announced soon.

Meanwhile, swimmers will continue to have access to Council’s other pool facilities in South Grafton, Maclean, Yamba and Glenreagh.

Images: At its September 2022 monthly meeting Clarence Valley Councillors resolved to undertake further geotechnical investigations in the pool basin and concourse following the closure. A further seven test pits have since been completed in and around the pools, and will assist with the engineering and design of the facility (top) and the waterslide and picnic area at the Grafton Olympic Pool complex will operate over summer as part of Clarence Valley Council’s Summer Splash initiative (below).

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