A revised timeline of the project was presented to Federation Council last month with councillors agreeing to offer a two-year caretaker lease for the Ball Park caravan park.

The caravan park lease includes operation of the pool.

Consultants Otium Planning was engaged last year to complete a study on both to provide council with a clear direction to future development and operational models.

Councillors were briefed in late November on the project’s present status.

They were cautioned not to proceed with another long-term contract due to availability of limited data including caravan park visitation, no decision yet on whether the new pool will be an outdoor or indoor facility and business disruption from construction of a new pool.

The report from corporate and community services director Kristy Kay presented to council last month stated a new pool would take 18 months to two years to become operational once an outdoor or indoor pool option was selected.

It will be one of the major decisions made by council in the first three months of 2018.

In a survey of more than 1000 Corowa residents in 2016, a majority supported building another 50 metre outdoor pool over a 25 metre indoor pool.

The council has secured $2.5 million in grant funding which is contingent on the new pool being completed before the end of 2019.

It is likely this summer will be the final year of operation for the pool which has reached the end of its operational life and proposed construction timeline will force the pool to be closed for a season.

“A new swimming pool will be a great asset to Ball Park caravan park and the report recommends that the lease of Ball Park caravan park should continue to include the Corowa swimming pool,” Ms Kay wrote.

“The report also identifies significant operational savings and business opportunity that could be achieved through the better integration of the swimming pool complex with Ball Park caravan park.

“To allow council time to work through these matters and collect the necessary information in order to prepare a successful tender document, it is suggested that council progress to put in a short-term caretaker contract to manage Ball Park caravan park and swimming pool on council’s behalf.

“It is also critical that council reviews options for purchase and installation of an electronic reservation management system so it can introduce greater business control and monitor occupancy and business trends when caretaker management takes over.”

Corowa residents also indicated in the 2016 survey they were prepared to pay additional in rates to bankroll construction of a new pool.