savesunshinepool.com

[Save Sunshine Pool]

Brimbank Council is holding a community meeting on Thursday night as part of the extremly dubious "Brimbank Aquatic Strategy."

Residents of Sunshine have been long waiting for a level of community consultation and a more open process regarding the progress of the redevelopment of the Sunshine Swim and Leisure centre.

As the community frustration and anger increases regarding the closed process and "FOI" attitude the council has toward the redevelopment of the Sunshine Pool, Brimbank Council decides to spring on us an Aquatic Strategy for the whole of Brimbank which is being run by a new consultant Sykes and Humphries.

As we outlined in the previous newsletter, Sykes and Humphries informed us and emphasised that the Brimbank Aquatic Strategy will 'not' look into the redevelopment of the Sunshine Pool!

Sharon Sykes and Leslie Humphries emphasised over and over in our half an hour meeting last month that the council has instructed them that they intends to go ahead with the current plans that place a car park and road over the fifty metre. The 6 million dollars that has been raised through the community highlighting this issue will result in a council endorsed single 2 foot deep learn to swim pool leaving us with less than 60% of water space that we had 12 years ago!

In this light, as far as savesunshinepool.com is concerned, the so called "Brimbank Aquatic Strategy" is a farce and intended to distract the community from the serious issues the community has with the intended covering over of the Sunshine Pool site.

After coming this far in stopping the council from closing down the pool this year (as they were going to) and to have them now 'finding' 6 million dollars to redevlop it, that they now intend to cover it over with car parks is creating much anger and escalated disillusionment with not only the entire Brimbank Council but with our Labour party representatives.

savesunshinepool.com attended a meeting at Trades Hall last week where we found much support after an hour long presentation and discussion. Members from the various 'Save the Pool' groups and communty representatives were bouyed to hear that Trades Hall has had much experience relating to local pools and direct involvement with both the Clayton Pool and Fitzroy Pool.

Both Clayton and Fitzroy 50 metre pools were left to fall into disrepair and after community and union action eventually they have both been restored to their former glory.

The outcome of the meeting is that the Trades Hall would like to broker a meeting with community representatives, councilors and the Minister for Sport and Recreation which is terrific news.

The feeling we are getting from our local Labour representatives is that they are washing their hands of the situation so a meeting with Justin Madden might just help to put the focus back on the requirements of the Better Pools Funding allocation.

Meanwhile, the charade like Brimbank Aquatic Strategy forum will be held on Thursday 9 September at the Errington Community Centre, Princess Street, St Albans from 7-9pm.

savesunshinepool.com are hoping that the brimbank Council has re-instructed Sykes and Humphries to actually take the re-devlopment of the Sunshine Pool into account and not to just 'pretend it is not there'.

I still am flabberghasted at how Leslie and Sharon of Sykes Humphries appeared to get cross whenever we tried to discuss the Sunshine Pool site at the last meeting. "This is going ahead, we want to talk about what we can do elsewhere in Brimbank!" "What about parks and gardens"

So we have no idea if tomorrow nights meeting will at all address the Sunshine Pool site or whether again it will be brushed aside so the council can build their car parks.

We hope and pray that council has been listening and will have changed the Brimbank Aquatic Strategy to also acknowledge the desperate need we have in Sunshine for a decent amount of pool space and not just a new two foot pool and new car parks! We will see tomorrow night...

Full report will appear after the meeting however if you think it will help come along:

Thursday 9th September 7 - 9 p.m.
Errington Community Centre
Princess Street, St Albans
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Brimbank has a population of over 170,000 people and has only one outdoor pool. Most other councils have 5 - 12 outdoor pools. Brimbank also has close to the worst health status in Victoria. But the Council and the State Government demolished 3 outdoor pools in Sunshine.

A 25 Metre pool is now finally scheduled to be built at Sunshine and opened in November 2008

Join in the campaign to have the pools repaired or replaced properly now!