Local families will be able to use Peakhurst West Pulbic School Pool for recreational swimming and social gatherings.
For the first time, the entire local community will have access to the Peakhurst West Public School swimming pool when it reopens following its multi-million-dollar upgrade.
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Local families will be able to use Peakhurst pool for recreational swimming and social gatherings, the office of Deputy Premier of NSW and the Minister for Education Prue Car has confirmed.
Ms Car has been meeting with community representatives of swimming groups who use the pool to discuss the pool's future operations.
The pool is closed to undergo a multi-million-dollar upgrade, including retiling the 25-metre swimming pool and infants' pool, installing new starting blocks, and adjusting the depth of both pools to improve safety and accessibility for swimmers, consistent with surrounding pool centres.
A spokesperson for Ms Car's office has confirmed the pool will be open to all members of the public outside of school hours when it is not being used by swimming groups.
Fit XP, a local provider with a strong record in delivering sports programs for students across south-west Sydney, is responsible for operating and maintaining the swimming pool on behalf of the Department of Education.
"These upgrades ensure the pool will be accessible for the entire local community as well as students at Peakhurst West Public School, neighbouring schools, and local learn-to-swim providers," the spokesperson said.
"It also preserves the legacy of the community swim clubs that originally fundraised to build the pool back in 1961."
Earlier:
Ms Car has previously said that the pool is not being privatised.
"I want to be clear. Peakhurst West pool has never been privatised and will never be under this government," Ms Car said.
"I cannot understand why anyone would want to scare the wonderful volunteers and community groups who use this pool.
"We are working through a series of important issues raised by the community to ensure that the pool is upgraded, fit for purpose and meets their needs. I'm very grateful for the constructive engagement," she said.
A request for Georges River Council to take control of the Peakhurst West Public School Pool was voted down by councillors last week.
Located within Peakhurst West Public School, the pool reopened last November following a $1.5 million upgrade by the NSW Department of Education.
Further upgrade works will include reducing the depth of the 25-metre pool from two-metres to 1.4-metres.
Cr Nancy Liu submitted a notice of motion at the May 25 council meeting requesting that the proposed upgrade works be paused for further consultation and clarification, noting that once the proposed works commence the original functionality of the pool may be permanently affected.
"If the 25-metre pool is decreased from two-metres to 1.4-metres it will seriously impact the usage of this pool. It was designed by the community as a competition standard pool. Two-metres is a national standard. I don't know why it's going to be changed to 1.4-metres. This is an urgent call for the council to write to the state government authorities that this project be paused for community consultation and clarification of all the concerns before the project is commenced."
Cr Elaina Anzellotti submitted an amendment that the council write to the NSW government formally proposing that Georges River Council assume management of the pool.
"Accusations of privatising the pool are being used to divide the community and for political point-scoring. When the operator took over, the community raised valid concerns regarding the depth, fee increases, booking times and privatising of the pool. The privatisation had been spun out to the community and it is not true.
"The Deputy Premier Prue Car has stated on record that the pool has never been privatised and will never be under the current government. I cannot understand why anyone would want to scare the wonderful volunteers and community groups who use the pool. A motion that council assume the care and control of the pool should have been brought forward years ago. Instead it has been held back to be used as a political football," she said.
Cr Kathryn Landsberry said, "We don't run pools ourselves. Much as it is my preferred model, I can't support this. It's not a council asset so why would council be operating it?" she said.
"The purpose of Cr Liu's motion is advocating on behalf of the community groups that currently use it. This is a Department of Education asset so it is up to them to manage it."
Cr Anzellotti's amendment was put to the vote and lost by nine votes to four.
Cr Lui's original motion was put forward and supported by nine votes to four.
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