A TRIO of Border businessmen want new councils from Albury and Wodonga to back a mega aquatics centre on Gateway Island.
Stuart Baker and John Percy yesterday said there’s never been a better time to put the plan for a $50 million, FINA accredited centre back on the public agenda.
The idea for the super pool is not fresh but Mr Percy said with a new Albury Council and elections about to happen in Wodonga, the time was perfect to generate support for the centre.
He said the group, which also included John van Lint, was not calling for the councils to fund the project or abandon plans but scale them down.
Mr Baker said Wodonga council’s decision this month to reject over-budget tenders for its White Box Rise aquatic centre was also timely.
“What have the two councils got to lose by pursuing it — nothing — so why not have a go at it?” Mr Baker said.
“Everyone says it’s a good idea but it always seems to strike a dead end but maybe now the time is right.”
The centre could feature two 50m swimming pools, including one indoors, a diving pool which could also double as a water polo arena and provision for leisure and therapeutic water activities.
Mr Percy said the concept for the centre, a public-private partnership, would mirror the arrangement being used to construct the State Aquatic Centre in Adelaide.
The Marion Council has supplied the land, the federal and state governments have supplied funds and a private developer runs the facility.
The proposed site for the Border centre is 5ha of Federal Government land adjacent to the Gateway Island lakes which the group hopes the Government would donate.
Wodonga Mayor Rodney Wangman said the council’s position remained the development of the White Box Rise pool and it would again call for tenders after original bids exceeded budget by almost $1 million.
He could not comment on whether the new council would back the mega pool plan.
Albury Mayor Patricia Gould said the Gateway Island centre was not among the three options for improving aquatic facilities in the city.