Part of the Cowes Cultural and Civic Precinct has been selected as the suitable site for the Phillip Island Aquatic Centre.

The Bass Coast Shire Council-owned land was identified in the Cowes Activity Centre Plan adopted in June, and was then selected by the Phillip Island Aquatic Working Group as the preferred site.

Working Group Chair, Cr Bradley Drew, said the Group had used the Site Selection Process outlined in the Bass Coast Aquatic Strategy to determine the most suitable site for future development of the aquatic facility.

“Since the Bass Coast Aquatic Strategy was adopted by Council at the June meeting, it’s been a busy time for the Group undertaking the Site Selection Process,” Cr Drew said.

“We assessed four sites - Phillip Island Recreation Reserve, CA79 Hilton Chadwick Reserve, the Newhaven College site, and of course the site identified in the adopted Cowes Activity Centre Plan that was eventually chosen.”

The following Site Selection Criteria were used to assist in identifying the preferred site:

• Site area available for development
  
  
• Land ownership
  
  
• Any conditions of use
  
  
• Available site services and their capacities
  
  
• Town planning and neighbourhood impacts information
  
  
• Capacity for partnership funding/development
  
  

Phillip Island Aquatic Centre Fund Inc Secretary and member of the Working Group, Peter McMahon, said the group is looking forward to working on the concept plan for the Phillip Island Aquatic Centre this financial year.

“Once completed, the concept plan will open up the opportunities to secure State and Federal Funding in the future,” Mr McMahon said.

The Phillip Island Aquatic Working Group meets regularly and consists of membership from Council, the Phillip Island Aquatic Centre Fund Inc, Phillip Island Swim Club, Bass Coast Health, Bass Coast YMCA and Newhaven College.

Cr Bradley Drew remarked he is excited about the opportunity for the proposed Phillip Island Aquatic Centre.

“The proposed centre will add value to the civic precinct that will, subject to successfully securing funding, include a redeveloped civic precinct, future transport hub, and the proposed new Phillip Island Health and Medical Hub,” Cr Drew commented.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to reactivate Cowes between Church and Chapel Street.”

Community input into the Phillip Island Aquatic Centre will be part of the concept design phase which will be undertaken in the 2015/16 financial year.

It was expected that at tonight’s Council Meeting, the proposed location for the construction of the Phillip Island Aquatic Centre would be voted on. However, Council have chosen to make a Media Release announcement instead confirming, the location.

The proposed location has been determined by ‘The Phillip Island Aquatic Working Group’ using the rigorous selection criteria contained within the Bass Coast Aquatic Strategy. The location is on Council owned land behind the Cultural Centre and will share the site with the Medical Hub and others. The Working Group was comprised of Councillors and Council staff, members of the PIACF Inc. and other key interested parties.

The Phillip Island Aquatic Centre Fund Inc is pleased with the proposed outcome and hopes all residents get behind this decision to finally get approval from Council to fund and build our long fought-for Aquatic Centre.

The announcement should not come as a surprise as it was recently suggested by a group of consultants that worked on the Cowes Activity Strategy.

The remaining task of The Phillip Island Aquatic Centre Working Group is to determine and scope the first stage of the Aquatic Centre (or, alternatively, whether the Centre should be built in one stage). The PIACF Inc will have more to say about that remaining task in the near future.

Upcoming PIACF Inc Annual General Meeting

Selection of the site for the Aquatic Centre is just another step in the long process of actually getting the Centre built.

Our AGM is about to take place on the 25th August. We are looking for additional assistance with new committee personnel to help drive the building of this centre. Anyone who feels they can constructively contribute to the process will be welcomed on to the Committee. We also invite all other residents to attend our AGM at 7.30pm on the 25th August in the Heritage Centre in Thompson Avenue.

I would also like to remind those who in the past have contributed by way of annual memberships to consider renewing their membership. As a new financial year has begun, we would appreciate your continued membership subscription. The dollar level of our annual membership subscription will be one of the issues to be discussed at the AGM.

You may recall that we are in position of having the ability to raise up to $2 million in funds through the ASF (Australian Sports Foundation) where donations are treated using tax-deductible DGR status, with tax deductibility for individual donors. But we need to continue the effort to raise funds from other sources, including corporate, philanthropists and business. Annual membership subscriptions are also an important contribution.

It is important to emphasise that, with Council agreeing to build two Aquatic Centres within the Shire (the PI Aquatic Centre and redevelopment of the Wonthaggi Centre), they have left it open to which will be built first. It is our conviction that who can raise the funds the quickest, will be a critical determinate of order of priority. Many years ago residents allocated funds for bricks, this money and records still remain active today and will form some part of the construction.

Our real work is about to begin, WE NEED YOUR HELP; if there is anything you feel you or your company could do to help build the Phillip Island Aquatic Centre please let us know.

Yes, with the announcement of a proposed location for the Phillip Island Aquatic Centre. We have taken a huge step forward. The long awaited Phillip Island Aquatic Centre is going to be built in our lifetime!

As everyone should be aware, the Bass Coast Shire Council has passed a motion to build two Aquatic Centres in the Shire, and we have been working with them to agree on a site. We would love all intertesed memebers of the public to come along to the AGM and hear exactly where Council intends to build our Centre.

The AGM is on Tuesday 25th August 2015 at 7.30pm in The Heritage Centre, 89 Thompson Ave. Cowes.

You should also be aware That the PIACF committee has obtained access to a Donation Gift Recipient fund to accept tax free donations. This will help speed up the fund raising to allow our pool to be built sooner rather than later.

If you would like to be involved in building the Phillip Island Aquatic Centre, please join the committee or become a member. You can contact the Secretary on 0418 533 256 for committee enquiries and can download a membership form from this website. Forms will also be available at the AGM. Membership subscriptions are currently due for renewal for 2015 — 2016.

The following is a statement posted on the Bass Coast council website yesterday. As a committee we are thrilled with this outcome and will continue our efforts till its built!

Phillip Island will receive a new aquatic facility after Bass Coast Shire Council moved to develop two facilities in the Shire over the next 10 years.

The Bass Coast Aquatic Strategy was adopted by Council at the tonight’s meeting and confirms Council’s intention to redevelop the Bass Coast Aquatic and Leisure Centre, as well as go ahead with the development of an aquatic centre on Phillip Island.

Council has committed $120,000 in the newly adopted 2015-16 Budget to the Phillip Island Aquatic Working Group to prepare site selection recommendations and the development of a concept plan over the coming months.

Bass Coast Mayor, Cr Kimberley Brown, said she was happy Council could respond to requests from the Phillip Island community as well as give the Shire’s existing and aging aquatic facility new life.

“There is substantial cost in developing aquatic centres and they need to be viewed as 40-plus year investments which require detailed planning so that each facility meets the needs of all user groups now and into the future,” Cr Brown said.

“The Aquatic Strategy report also recognised there is no provision in Council’s long term financial plan, Securing Bass Coast’s Future, for the construction of any new major aquatic facility prior to 2020.

“It is, however, important to have plans in place now so we can be in the position to seek and apply for funding should the opportunity arise.”

Council’s General Manager Sustainable Development and Growth, Allison Jones, said the report presented to Council noted that there will be a point of difference between the two aquatic centres being proposed.

“Bass Coast Aquatic and Leisure Centre could offer fitness and education options, and a Phillip Island Aquatic Centre may feature health and fitness activities and low impact exercise opportunities for older adults such as hydrotherapy,” Ms Jones said.

“Concept plans have already been prepared for the Bass Coast Aquatic and Leisure Centre redevelopment.”

Ms Jones said Bass Coast’s population profile, with a median age of 46 years was highlighted in the Strategy as being significantly higher than the state averages.

“It is five years higher than the Victorian Regional Average age of 41, and nine years above Victoria’s average of 37,” Ms Jones said.

“Our ageing population places a new demand for aquatic facilities that include warmer pools suitable for older adult exercises. It is also essential to have a range of pools with different water depths, as well as consider times of operation and affordability.”

Ms Jones said the Strategy also notes recent leisure trends.

“The strong link between active and healthy lifestyles means aquatic and fitness activities are a large part of people’s activity choices,” Ms Jones said.

http://news.basscoast.vic.gov.au/council-commits-to-island-pool/

The Management Committee of PIACF Inc. would like to take this opportunity to let everyone know where we are since holding the recent AGM.

Firstly we are awaiting a letter from Council which will allow us the opportunity to establish a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) fund that will be able to accept tax deductible donations. We hope this will happen over the next week or so.

Secondly at last Wednesdays (17th Sept) Council Meeting, we were pleasantly surprised to hear of a communication to Mayor Neil Rankine from Hon Greg Hunt MHR, of the possibility of funds from the Federal Government which could be used for the Phillip Island Aquatic Centre.

Several questions were asked and answered of the CEO exactly what this would mean for Council; his answers surprised and delighted those in the gallery. This is for use in relation to Phillip Island and the answer from the CEO went along these lines, what does it mean, well we need to develop plans and specs for the Centre let’s say it cost $15mil, the three levels of Government would pay 33% each ($5mil), does that mean Council would borrow their share? Yes and it would be combined with whatever fund this group had at the time.

This is in complete contrast of earlier Council thinking and passed Council Motions which should give all of us heart, that there may be an end in sight for our long awaited Aquatic Centre.

As at the AGM we outlined under the information we had at the time, if Ratepayers on Phillip Island and San Remo each gave over the next two years $208.00 and if the centre we were considering cost $8mil, we could build an Aquatic Centre within the next three years under the conditions outlined from Council.

As Secretary of PIACF I have been able to discover more about Greg Hunts communiqué, it apparently suggest the National Stronger Regions Fund could be the vehicle to obtain the funding, however it doesn’t start until 2015-16 and will run for the next five years.

We firmly believe we still need to push on with the development of plans and location for the Phillip Island Aquatic Centre while establishing the DGR Fund; these things will allow our centre every opportunity to succeed.

We ask all of you if you can either become a financial member or maybe even join the many who have purchased a foundation brick for either $50 for a single or $150 for a family, or you may wish to just donate, please come forward. For those of you who want to wait until the DGR Fund is set up we will make sure we announce it as soon as we can.

An end is in sight, come and join and be part of this exciting venture.

Peter McMahon               Secretary