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Council update re drop in sessions for community consultation

5/31/2021

Due to the latest COVID-19 lockdown the drop-in session scheduled for this Wednesday 2nd June at the Bass Coast Aquatic and Leisure Centre has been postponed to Wednesday 16th June, so the drop-in sessions are now scheduled as follows:

Wonthaggi - Bass Coast Aquatic and Leisure Centre, 41 Wentworth Road

Saturday, 19 June: 9.00am – 1.00pm
Wednesday, 16 June: 9.00am – 1.00pm

Cowes - Phillip Island Leisure Centre, 10-12 Church Street

Wednesday, 9 June: 9.00am – 1.00pm
Saturday, 12 June: 9.00am – 1.00pm

However we will be monitoring the latest government restrictions around COVID-19 and these sessions may change accordingly, and further communications will be made to make people aware of these changes.

In the meantime, please visit the project website www.basscoast.vic.gov.au/aquatics for all information on the project and to fill out the survey to provide feedback.

Kind regards,

Jarvis Weston
senior project manager

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Paver sales

5/27/2021

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During past fundraising efforts, donations towards pavers/bricks were paid by the community to be laid at the Phillip Island Aquatic Centre once built. From time to time questions are asked about this. As a committee we acknowledge that in total $14,100 was raised with the paver sales, which is currently held by our group. Should anyone wish to confirm their name is on the list they can contact us. We can't publish the list publicly for privacy reasons. Please email info@piac.org.au

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Phillip Island residents should start lobbying all Bass Coast Shire councillors to ensure Cowes gets a community pool.

5/26/2021

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From the Phillip Island & San Remo Advertiser
.
Phillip Island residents should start lobbying all Bass Coast Shire councillors to ensure Cowes gets a community pool.
That’s the message from the Phillip Island Aquatic Centre Fund after councillors last week voted to accept a feasibility study – for pools in both Cowes and Wonthaggi – and release it for community consultation, at the Phillip Island Leisure Centre, June 9 and 12, 9am to 1pm.
The feasibility study proposes Phillip Island should have a 25m x eight lane pool, learn-to-swim combined hydrotherapy area, 24-hour gym, and two indoor sports courts, at a cost of $52 million.
The study recommends a $41 million new pool for Wonthaggi – with the current pool built in 1975 – including 25m x 10 lanes, a larger gym, new spa and sauna.
While the shire will lobby state and federal governments for the combined $93 million pool budget, Cr Les Larke last week said it was unlikely the shire would successfully receive those funds.
“Realistically we can’t afford two pools requiring $90 to $100 million in funding, regardless of council’s advocacy,” said Cr Larke, the only councillor to vote against adopting the study.
“My belief is that one regional pool is a realistic objective.”
Phillip Island Aquatic Centre Fund secretary Peter McMahon said while they supported the shire in seeking joint funding, if a decision had to be made on one pool, it should be Cowes.
“Both centres are needed and if they believe they can get two lots of funding, fantastic,” said Peter, who returned home last week from a month in hospital after suffering two heart events and two heart surgeries.
“If they can’t, then a decision needs to be made on which one is more vital. The only way we can push Phillip Island ahead of Wonthaggi is if the community gets behind this and makes some noise. People should contact all the councillors – not just the Island Ward – to express their concern and position. Councillors will only do something if they get hounded.”
One pool or two?
Cr Bruce Kent agreed both pools would be “fantastic”.
“But they have to be paid for with multi-millions of dollars,” Cr Kent said.
“Which pool do we look at first or do we consider doing both at the same time, knowing the cost factors.”
Cr Michael Whelan said the community needed to “get together and show a united face to government”, to take the funding request to the next state and Federal elections and “hopefully the funds will be forthcoming”.
Cr Ronnie Bauer said he was sad neither pool was 50m, adding Phillip Island needed a dedicated hydrotherapy and learn-to-swim pool.
Cr Clare Le Serve acknowledged Phillip Island had been lobbying for a community pool for many decades.
Cr Leticia Laing said while pools were “sorely needed” in both towns, Wonthaggi’s was “leaking its guts out”.
Déjà vu
The feasibility study released last week was written by the same consultants, Otium Planning, who wrote the last feasibility study for the Phillip Island Aquatic centre in 2016.
Peter McMahon said in the 2016 study Otium recommended a dedicated, separate hydrotherapy pool and learn to swim pool.
However in this latest study, Otium recommends combining these pools with a moveable floor to raise or lower the water levels for children or adults.
“They need to go back to the original plans. I can’t understand why in a short space of time things have changed to bring about this short cut,” Peter said.
“They need a dedicated pool for each of these, otherwise it’s counterproductive. They tried combining facilities at Wonthaggi and it failed.”
The study recommends the Cowes aquatic centre would have a learn to swim pool (20m x 12m); a 23m x 23m splash pad and a 60m2 toddlers pool; two water slides; a 100-seat spectator area; spa, and dry and steam sauna; change rooms; and in the foyer area there will be offices, a reception, lounge, café, kitchen, storage
There will be a large 24-hour gym (600m2) with two group fitness rooms and two sports courts (but no squash courts).
The study states the option of constructing a 50m pool “has been analysed but found to not be sustainable”, based on population size and on the extra $8 million such a pool would require to construct, as well as the annual $250,000 operation costs.
It adds a 50m pool could be constructed in the future.
Peter said one pool in Bass Coast should be 50 metres.
Case for Cowes
Peter acknowledged Wonthaggi’s pool needed to be upgraded, but the feasibility study said it had a further life of 10 years.
“So why would you knock it down now when it’s still in operational condition?”
He said Cowes had been lobbying for a pool long before he started, dating back to 1984 when Cowes Primary built its pool to fill the void.
“It’s needed more than ever now with our ageing population and amount of kids needing to learn to swim.”
Peter questioned the figures used by Otium, including that Wonthaggi would receive more visitors than Cowes and that Cowes’ proposed facility would be more expensive.
He said now the shire had released the study, Phillip Island Aquatic Centre Fund would be approaching business for fundraising.
He said the buy-a-brick campaign still had more than $100,000 in funds (with detailed financial reports on the fund’s website), adding he welcomed the proposed $100,000 funding by the Bendigo Bank last week for a dedicated hydrotherapy pool in the proposed new aquatic centre.
Sports hub
The 2020/2021 shire budget allocated $2.8 million to create an aquatic centre business case and planning. Otium Planning in 1996 wrote the first feasibility study for the Phillip Island Aquatic centre, paid for by state government.
Earlier this year the shire was believed to have paid $2.7 million for the purchase of the carnival land – at the intersection of Phillip Island and Ventnor roads – for the creation of a 32 hectare sports hub, including the aquatic centre.
The feasibility study states the master plan of the proposed Phillip Island Recreational Reserve would be a “separate piece of work scheduled for future years”.
For more information on the aquatics project, to view the Concept Plans, or to fill out the survey visit www.basscoast.vic.gov.au/aquatics or contact Council.

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Community consultation opportunity

5/25/2021

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In 2015 Council adopted a 10-year Bass Coast Aquatics Strategy that recommended the redevelopment of the Bass Coast Aquatic and Leisure Centre and the construction of a new district aquatic leisure centre at Phillip Island. In 2020 Council appointed Otium Planning Group to further these recommendations by developing feasibility studies and concept plans for both centres.

Concept plans and draft feasibility studies have now been drafted for each proposed centre, with each being specifically designed to:

Service the current and future populations of the area
Provide for the current and future predicted user markets
Provide for the latest industry trends
Ensure the centres are financially sustainable
Ensure the centres are as environmentally sustainable as possible
Attract funding and a Funding Strategy will be developed during the initial phases of the project.

Council are now seeking community and stakeholder feedback on the concept plans and feasibility studies.

For more information on the project and to make a submission please visit the project website www.basscoast.vic.gov.au/aquatics or view the attachment on how to ‘Have your say’ at one of the drop-in sessions.

Engagement with the community and stakeholders in the project is considered crucial and feedback received will be critical in shaping the design and operations of both centres.

If you would like to discuss this project further, please do not hesitate to contact the Major Projects team on 1300 BCOAST (226 278) or via email at aquatics@basscoast.vic.gov.au

Kind regards,

Jarvis Weston
senior project manager

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Phillip Island’s long-awaited aquatic centre

5/20/2021

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From the Phiilip Island and San Remo Advertiser - note the $52 million is not the cost of a new pool, it’s the whole centre which includes a gym and other sports facilities in addition to the aquatic facilities. Bring it on! We know the community is tired and won’t believe till they see it, but behind the scenes our committee has worked tirelessly to get to this point.

Phillip Island’s long-awaited aquatic centre would include a 25m x eight lane pool, learn-to-swim area, 24-hour gym, and two indoor sports courts, at a cost of $52 million, according to a feasibility study.
Bass Coast Shire councillors are tonight expected to accept the feasibility study and release it for community consultation, which will run from May 31 to June 27.
The study – produced by Otium Planning Group – examines population projections, environmentally sustainable designs, and operational cost data to guide the future construction and ongoing operations of aquatic centres in both Cowes and Wonthaggi.
While the community has long lobbied for a 50m pool, the Phillip Island Aquatic Leisure Centre study recommends Cowes have a “district level” 25m competition pool. The study states the option of constructing a 50m pool “has been analysed but found to not be sustainable”, based on population size and on the extra $8 million such a pool would require to construct, as well as the annual $250,000 operation costs. It adds a 50m pool could be constructed in the future.
The study recommends the Cowes aquatic centre would have a learn to swim pool (20m x 12m); a 23m x 23m splash pad and a 60m2 toddlers pool; two water slides; a 100-seat spectator area; spa, and dry and steam sauna; change rooms; and in the foyer area there will be offices, a reception, lounge, café, kitchen and storage.
There will be a large 24-hour gym (600m2) with two group fitness rooms.
The study recommends two stages of development with stage one being the aquatic, health and fitness facilities and a future stage two development – “or if funding allows it to be developed as stage one” – two indoor sport courts.
However, the council agenda – to be voted on today - includes two sports courts (but no squash courts) as part of the proposed overall project.
$93 million lobbying
The Bass Coast Aquatic Leisure Centre Redevelopment Feasibility Study recommends a $41 million new pool for Wonthaggi, with the current pool built in 1975. The study recommends Wonthaggi’s pool be upgraded from 25m x six lanes to 25m x 10 lanes, with a larger gym, new spa and sauna. The current indoor sports courts will not be included in the new design because a three-court indoor sports stadium was built at the Wonthaggi Secondary College in 2020.
Bass Coast Shire is expected to lobby both state and Federal governments for the combined Cowes and Wonthaggi costs of $93 million.
Phillip Island Aquatic Centre Fund has for three decades lobbied for a community pool and as recently as last month opposed the shire combining the two aquatic projects.
However PIACF president Don Turner last week told the Advertiser they had reversed their previous opposition to the shire’s proposal to seek joint funding, acknowledging the shire would not seek grants for the island alone.
“The committee is comfortable with council going ahead to seek funding for both centres,” Don said.
But if this funding was unsuccessful “it would be up to councillors to vote on which gets the funding”.
“Our committee will be working with council in seeking funding for both centres,” he confirmed.
Costs
Base modelling shows the centre (stages one and two) is expected to operate in deficit in year one to year five, break even in year six and then operate at an annual surplus from year seven. This is based on attendances rising from 290,000 in year one to a high of 320,000 in year ten.
In contrast, “optimistic” modelling shows the centre would have an $18,000 deficit in its first year and then operate in surplus, with attendances rising from 319,000 in year one to a high of 352,000 in year ten. “Conservative” modelling shows an annual operating deficit for all years between $517,000 to $237,000, based on attendances of 261,000 in year one to a high of 289,000 in year ten.
YMCA
The feasibility study analysed operational costs of the Phillip Island Leisure Centre, off Church Street Cowes, managed by the YMCA (who has a management contract with council until June 30 this year).
YMCA annual statistics show total attendances decreased from 173,848 in ‘17/18 to 158,792 in ‘18/19, while the centre’s operating deficit has been increasing annually and was at $331,000 in ‘18/19.
“The current floor space would see the area suitable to meet the needs of 320 members to 480 members. The memberships base in March ‘19/20 was 691 which is above the theoretical capacity of the gym area and equipment,” the study states.
“This over subscription of members use of the area may be leading to overcrowding at peak times which may result in member dissatisfaction.”
There are currently three outdoor swimming pools within the shire, located at Primary Schools, including one at Cowes.
There are three commercial learn to swim pools in the shire, including two on Phillip Island.
Sports hub
The 2020/21 shire budget allocated $2.8m for creating an aquatic centre business case and planning.
Otium Planning in 1996 wrote the first feasibility study for the Phillip Island Aquatic centre, paid for by state government.
Earlier this year the shire was believed to have paid $2.7 million for the purchase of the carnival land – at the intersection of Phillip Island and Ventnor roads – for the creation of a 32-hectare sports hub, including the aquatic centre.
The feasibility study states the master plan of the proposed Phillip Island Recreational Reserve would be a “separate piece of work scheduled for future years”.
Sporting groups last year said they were “desperate” for expanded facilities, including Phillip Island Football and Netball Club’s Chris Ross, who said they had more than 460 footy members and 160 netball members who can’t all fit on the current Cowes oval.

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Council update re drop in sessions for community consultation

Paver sales

Phillip Island residents should start lobbying all Bass Coast Shire councillors to ensure Cowes gets a community pool.

Community consultation opportunity

Phillip Island’s long-awaited aquatic centre

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