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Works at the currently closed Gungahlin pool at the Leisure Centre have recommenced after a break in construction for the lockdown. Photo: Dominic Giannini.
Minister for Sport and Recreation Yvette Berry has acknowledged community frustration around another summer without the Gungahlin pool, describing the lengthy repair process over the past 18 months as “quite the journey”.
The Gungahlin Leisure Centre has had a long-running leaking issue with its 50-metre pool dating back to mid-2020. The issues have remained unresolved since then, meaning the pool was unavailable for use last summer and is likely to remain closed for most of the coming summer.
“We know that everyone wants to see it open again and operating hopefully better than it ever was, which is definitely our plan from the government perspective,” Ms Berry said at Budget Estimates for sport and recreation on Friday (29 October).
The government has flagged acoustic and lighting upgrades at the pool. Before the pool’s closure, Ms Berry was approached by its main user groups who raised concerns about both the high noise levels and poor lighting standards in the building. The ACT Government has set aside $365,000 in the budget for these upgrades.
READ MORE Gungahlin Pool repair completion pushed into 2022
Executive Group Manager of Shared Services and Property Graham Tanton said that works recommenced on 18 October after the pandemic brought the project to a halt.
He expects proceedings to ramp up, along with work on the pool shell, expansion joints and water testing. He also revealed that operators of the Gungahlin Leisure Centre, YMCA NSW, are being compensated for the pool’s closure, but did not disclose the exact level of this compensation.
The Civic Pool, or Canberra Olympic Pool as it is formally known, has had an uncertain future for some time. The pool site was viewed as the preferred location for the Civic Stadium project from a report released in March of this year.
In the ACT budget released last month, $1.3 million was set aside for the pool’s operating costs. The budget stated the government would assess the impact on the pool’s patronage following the opening of Stromlo Leisure Centre and the new aquatic facility at ANU before providing funding forecasts.
READ MORE Phillip Pool to stay closed for 2021/22 summer as questions remain regarding its future
Shadow Ministers suggested $1.3 million would struggle to meet the costs of operations and maintenance at the facility and posed questions to Ms Berry regarding the pool’s future beyond the next budget year.
Despite declaring the Civic Pool to be an important part of Canberra’s history, Ms Berry agreed that the cost of operations is becoming “more expensive as time goes on” and suggested that questions remain over whether a pool is the best use of the site moving forward.
Unlike Gungahlin Pool and the pool at Phillip, the Canberra Olympic Pool is currently open to the public.
Another ACT Government cluster f..k!!! Aren’t they great? Turning the National Capital into the National Capital while charging premium rates and fees. John Overall and his esteemed NCDC colleagues, who so meticulously planned Canberra over half a century and produced the most livable city in the world, must be rolling in their graves as Barr and his quota-driven bleeding heart cronies and the useless Liberal opposition oversee the unravelling of all their hard work. Our current leaders are sadly turning the Y Plan into the Why Plan.
Just across the border, Queanbeyan, Captains flat, Bungendore and Braidwood all have lovely open pools…
Sam Warry and Yass and Gunning!
Melissa Beeton insert photo of spa about here I reckon?? 😬👏
Please sign /share the petition for the Phillip pool! https://epetitions.act.gov.au/CurrentEPetition.aspx?PetId=199&lIndex=-1
Martin Miller Why? Not like they offer concessions, they also charge an arm and leg if you are only supervising your children & not swimming. Now they want government assistance, what a joke! They should have placed a percentage of income towards long term maintenance themselves
Diana Nasr I totally agree! It’s time for the ACT Government cancel the lease and refurbish the site for the Woden community!
Tahlia Kaddour Dickson pool will be so full! 😩
Melissa Khoder You guys can come to ours anytime 🙂
But the tram is air conditioned ….
And the AIS has closed for casual swimming
Moira Clancy we can cut mad moves on our skates instead in the empty pool. Heck even Shannon Marks can come as well 😋
Samantha Ward you couldnt handle my skate moves Ward
Samantha Ward actually, that’s not a half bad idea! Looks like my emergency swimming option of Civs pool awaits a fate unknown too. I sense a theme……
Shannon Marks https://gfycat.com/distortedmessyamericanshorthair
Trams are magnificent said nobody….
I’m pretty sure civic pool’s future was fairly set in concrete as the ACT government’s preferred site for a city stadium 🏟. Civic pool’s days are numbered, question is not if but when it will happen.
Dickson pool opening 15th November. 🏊♀️.
But they can afford to build a tram extension no wonder people move away
It’s also impossible to find out anything about CISAC pool now unless you are a Club Lime member…
I checked Manuka Pool’s website recently. It’s closed. Does anyone know if/when it will re open?
Xuan Le you may be able to charge entry fees to your pool this summer
Harry Carman da pools are closin
More reason to bail from Canberra in the summer time
Michael Langridge That’s what those in charge of decisions probably do. Who needs to worry about a pool when they can head off to a beach house. They may not value them like some people. It’s sad that they seem to be letting all the pools go to waste for those that use them.
Mookie Moo weve been waiting for the gunghalin pool for an age. Its a joke hey
Michael Langridge It really is 😢
How much longer is Gungahlin going to have to wait for the pool to be fixed. It’s been years now. Just disgraceful.
Civic pool sits on valuable land so they were always going to let it run down 😡
Teresa Layton then claim its unfeasible to repair
Teresa Layton given they are planning to build a stadium on it, that’s not a surprise.
So many great memories of civic pool. Teresa remember taking Michael and Julia there to the kiddies pool.
Excellent job Government, future is in a bathtub
What is going on? Gungahlin is relatively new?? Why is it closed??
Julie Mylchreest leaking after it was built.
Jack Thurkettle Jordan Cremerius still probably trying to fill civic pool after I left you two in my wake back in yr12
Jack Thurkettle hit my head on the other end, didn’t even need to take a stroke 😜
We don’t need public pools in Canberra, we need more apartment towers !
Looks like its back to Casurina Sands!
This is getting ridiculous. Everyone converging on Stromlo pool means people that actually need the pool for hydrotherapy will not get the time they need. I ended my membership at Gungahlin, because it’s a waste of money waiting for the never ending repairs to be done. You can’t get into the small pool there to do hydrotherapy either, because of the other programs the Y runs. Glad to see they’re being compensated.. where’s the compensation for the actual members of the pool? Prices haven’t changed.
Tracy Gorman I agree – trying to do hydro after surgery, I still have my pool pass from before lockdown and it still cost full fare but you can only get in at ridiculous inconvenient times… where is our discount for only half a pool?
Emily Evans not the civic pool
What on earth is going on in Canberra? After 18 months of misery, this is totally the wrong time to shut any pool !
Let’s hope Dickson doesn’t close! It’s our only hope.
AIS pool under a cloud too following closure of the fitness centre, including aqua fitness programs. AIS management, and the C’lth Sports minister they report to, have no commitment to the Canberra community.
It says in the headline Phillip Pool is closed but the article ends with Phillip Pool being open. I am confused.
The cost of covid has meant that the Phillip Pool will be closed for the for see able future.
“Unlike Gungahlin Pool and the pool at Phillip, the Canberra Olympic Pool is currently open to the public.” So Civic is open. The other two are closed.
Jacinta Gould ah okay! I re-read and I see it now. Thank you!
Lucky we have the rivers.
Jessica En Bee Bateman’s Bay*
Also interesting to note that based on the Casey Concept Plan it has effectively been policy of the ACT Government that the Casey Group Centre would include “A combined Club, indoor pool, indoor sports, gym and child care centre” since 2005.
Given that this table appears unchanged in the current Casey Concept Plan, it would be reasonable to expect that it remains Government policy, and that the citizens of Casey would be within their rights to expect delivery of such facilities including the indoor pool.
There is land in the Casey Group Centre suitable to deliver on all these facilities that the government is seeking to use some of this land for residential rather than deliver on what has been in the Casey Concept Plan.
What’s going on Canberra?? Growing up in the 70s & 80s pools like Phillip, Deakin, & Manuka were the go to place for Canberra kids in summer. Why are they all seemingly struggling?
Who was the architect for the Gungahlin pool? It looks awful. Those old-fashioned struts across the ceiling look like something out of a pool in a hick town in the 1950s or 60s. I’m not surprised it had to be closed shortly after opening. It is obvious it was constructed on the cheap.
FUBAR. This regime has been talking about replacing the Civic Pool for a decade, and they still don’t have an actual plan.
It is a safe bet that the government is eyeing off the valuable land currently occupied by both the Civic and Phillip pools. It must really annoy Mr Bar and co that this land is being wasted for useless goals such as leisure, fitness and water safety.
Surely these facilities are in their twilight.
They missed the opportunity with the Stromlo pool. There was talk at one point of building more substantial facilities there including high diving pools etc. But the government lacked vision.
The Phillip pool is privately owned, so Barr has nothing to do with it.
Yes he does, he committed to a new ice rink in Tuggeranong which is undermined the financial viability of the Phillip Pool & ice-skating Centre. There is now little incentive for the owners to invest in the Phillip Pool as it’s future is in doubt.
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