A remade Lavington Swim Centre should provide learn-to-swim classes but ratepayers should not expect it to have a new outdoor 50-metre pool, an Albury councillor says.
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Stuart Baker was commenting at Monday night's council meeting where a plan to seek feedback on the replacement of the aquatics hub was endorsed.
"In my own view it should be a strong focus on learn-to-swim," Cr Baker said.
"It is not a like-for-like replacement and it is to complement and not compete with the proposed Lauren Jackson swim centre initiative, so it's separate to that, it's not duplicating things and I think we've got a possibility to get something amazing in that community that people want and we need to find out what in fact they want.
"Outdoor 50s are becoming a thing of the past and that's not what is proposed here."
Councillor Darren Cameron, a trenchant critic of a regional swimming centre, questioned why hope was still being offered that such a complex would be built at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre.
"People have gotten back into the habit of talking as though it might be actually something that is planned to be done," Cr Cameron said.
"That decision has not been taken and in the past this council has made it very clear that it didn't have an appetite to fund that facility to the design standard that was previously kicking around."
Cr Baker then raised a point of order, arguing Cr Cameron was not being relevant to the topic.
Albury mayor Kylie King accepted Cr Cameron's view that the future of pools across the city were interrelated and the Labor councillor stated $250,000 in the city budget for sports centre planning should conclude an aquatics hub at the East Albury stadium was cost prohibitive.
Councillor Daryl Betteridge would like the city to spend excess of the $14.5 million earmarked over four years for the replacement of the Lavington pool.
"I believe we will receive a thorough and very in-depth report (following consultation) and I would hope that at the end of it the council will be able to grow or contribute more than the $14.5 million allocated at this moment if the costs come higher," Cr Betteridge said.
"This is a critical piece of infrastructure for the Border community, especially Lavington."
Feedback with the community, including swimming and water polo clubs, school sport associations, adjoining residents and health providers, is expected to occur between July and August.
Three to four concept designs are then likely to be presented to the council in November with one to be endorsed for further public comment.
Detailed design is then slated to unfold across 2025.
Councillor David Thurley said it would be a place to sit and talk and probably have coffee vans and the like.
