A GROUP calling for the construction of an indoor heated swimming pool in Creswick has organised a community meeting to rally support for the project.
Creswick Indoor Heated Pool Action Group spokesperson Julie Moran said she hoped up to 200 people would attend a meeting in the town’s RSL Hall tomorrow at 7.30pm.
“It’s to generate support and interest but also to get feedback,” she said.
The group made a submission to Hepburn Shire Council last month seeking funding for a feasibility study, but Ms Moran said the idea was one that had been discussed by residents for many years.
“We’ve spent a lot of time putting posters around town and seeking input and support,” she said.
“Everyone around town sees the need for it.”
Ms Moran said there was no safe, managed swimming pool facility in Creswick, with the lake at Calembeen Park also suffering problems with algae and safety issues in recent times.
She said an indoor heated pool would have both health and recreation benefits for the town, which has been severely impacted by floods in the past couple of years.
She said the initiative stood to benefit the town’s large population of elderly residents seeking hydrotherapy along with the many primary schools, sporting teams and families who currently travelled to aquatic centres in Ballarat.
“When people want their kids to have swimming lessons, people travel to Ballarat,” Ms Moran said.
“If you had an aquatic facility in Creswick it would be so much easier to access.
“Kids who don’t play tennis, cricket or football don’t have anywhere else and, particularly in the summertime, there’s nothing to do.”
She said it would also provide a drawcard for visiting tourists, by providing a place for families to go.
“As a group we’ve already got a lot of ideas about how this could be funded,” Ms Moran said.
“We’ve contacted towns who have done a similar thing to this.
“We’re trying to minimise the impact on rates by seeking sponsorship and naming rights.”
