THE Derwent Valley Council will hold a follow-up community workshop on the future of the Bushy Park War Memorial Swimming Pool site tomorrow (July 22), giving residents an opportunity to help shape what comes next for the local landmark.
The workshop follows a community meeting held on June 1, which discussed the closure of the pool and resulted in a strong expression of support for the pool to be reopened. Council representatives will return to Glenora District School at 5.30pm on Wednesday, July 22, to discuss potential alternative uses for the pool site on Gordon River Rd.
A council spokesperson said the workshop would draw on priorities identified in the Upper Derwent Valley Precinct Plan, which was developed through community engagement under the federally-funded Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program, as a starting point for discussion.
“Ideas for the future of the pool site raised by the community and council to date include: a sunken garden using the pool structure; skate park/pump track using the pool structure; water play park utilising the pool structure; park with picnic area; decking over the pool; improved public access through fence removal; making the hall occupiable as a multi-purpose space; site interpretation and storytelling; amphitheatre using the pool structure; pay and exercise equipment; riverbank rehabilitation and improved river access.”
The spokesperson said the list was not exhaustive and the workshop would provide an opportunity to test these priorities and explore further ideas with the community. “All community members are welcome to attend, with a particular focus on residents of Bushy Park and Glenora.”
A designated war memorial built by the community in 1958, the pool has been closed for several summers. Despite councillors voting to reopen the pool by next summer, it was announced on the Derwent Valley Council’s Facebook page two months ago that due to regulatory issues the pool would not reopen. This was confirmed at the public meeting at Glenora last month: “We are not reopening the pool, it is as simple as that,” council chief executive Wes Young said.
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One Response
all options on the table… apart from the pool that was there and was shut down to fix a road. perhaps the state could pay up