More funding will be needed for a full upgrade of Maryborough’s outdoor pool, according to Central Goldfields Shire council.
That message comes after Member for Ripon, Martha Haylett joined residents of the town this week to call for clarity on when the facility is being reopened.
Speaking to the Wake Up Call on Thursday, November 4th, the Shire’s chief executive Peter Harriott said council is currently asking for additional funds from the Commonwealth and Victorian government to complete the project.
“Now… at this stage we don’t have additional funds, so we’re working with the state and federal government to see what the best options are… with the funds that we have at hand,” Mr Harriott said.
His comments follow a statement posted on the Shire’s website, saying that the funds presently available to council are “insufficient to deliver the entire pool project”.
“The current funding arrangements are tied to specific outcomes related to disability changerooms, the Learn to Swim pool, and associated plant and equipment upgrades,” the statement said.
“In 2025, a funding shortfall of at least $5 million was identified to fully reopen the outdoor pool complex, including the 50m pool, and this may require further review given the time that has now elapsed.”
Also known as the Maryborough Municipal Olympic Pool, the facility was first opened in 1940 and closed in 2022, after an independent assessor determined the venue had reached its “end of life”.
Since then, council has secured a combined $7.5 million in federal and state funding to upgrade the facility, with the works having now entered “Stage Two”.
Ms Haylett told the Maryborough Advertiser last month that the project had taken “far too long” and called on council to “get a move on”.
In the meantime, Mr Harriott said the pool won’t be opening this Summer, and that council is “looking at all the different suggestions in relation to the construction methods, and testing those proposals before we go too much further.”
Further details about the project can be found on the council’s website.
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