City of Ballarat figures revealed the multimillion-dollar overhaul of the aquatic centre and construction of a multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-art, 50-metre pool came in well under budget.

The redevelopment was originally given a $17 million price tag, but the total cost of the project only hit $13.85 million, which left a $3.1 million pot of money remaining.

Black Hill Progress Association’s Polly Walters said the community wanted a portion of the funding redistributed into making the 60-year-old outdoor pool operational.

“The money has already been allocated to aquatic facilities, so there is no reason it couldn’t be transferred over to other pools,” Ms Walters said. 

She said that under the City of Ballarat’s own estimates, the pool would be operational if the council funded a $90,000 upgrade of the facility’s septic system and water mains and $53,000 for the replacement of the filter system, irrigation and fencing works. 

However, an independent study undertaken by the association last year revealed a number of inconsistencies in the city’s budgeted costs for maintaining and running the pool. 

Residents have maintained the council has significantly over-

estimated the costs associated with operating the pool. 

“The cost of reopening (the) Black Hill Pool is not millions of dollars,” Ms Walters said.

“It’s in the tens of thousands of dollars.”

Ms Walters said the community was prepared to offer free labour and to raise funds to contribute to the costs. 

But she conceded that the fate of the pool lay in the hands of the councillors, most of whom previously voted to decommission it.

“The money is there; the only question that remains is how the councillors feel about the review of the aquatic strategy,” Ms Walters said.

“If they vote to keep it closed, then that money becomes redundant.”

Ms Walters said she hoped councillors had a change of heart following the outpouring of community support to reopen the pool.

“I think now they certainly have a clear picture of how the community feels,” she said. 

“Initially, there was no public consultation with residents impacted, and we know now that the councillors themselves were not given all the information they need, including actual costs needed to keep it running.

“During the first round, they were not given the information they needed to make an informed decision.” 

City of Ballarat’s people and communities general manager Neville Ivey said the council had been able to keep the

cost of the project down due to “a competitive tender process and stringent financial management.”

Following a groundswell of community unrest, the council’s much-maligned 2014 Aquatic Strategy was put back on public display in December.

The council would not comment on whether the Black Hill Pool would get a slice of the remaining funding.

Mr Ivey said a final report on the centre’s upgrade would go before councillors in June.

He said this report would detail the allocation of the remaining budget and the outcome of the Ballarat Aquatic Strategy review.

melissa.cunningham@fairfaxmedia.com.au