Cabonne Council has placed on public display the Cabonne Swimming Pools Masterplan. The Masterplan reviews the seven pools that service the over 13,300 residents across the Cabonne Shire, to provide future direction that ensures Council is delivering safe and well-utilised swimming pools to the community.
Otium was engaged in November 2020 to undertake the review of the pools in Cabonne in order to seek improvements and devise a long-term plan for the ageing facilities. The review included a report on the pool usage and the operation of the pools, as well as an assessment of the condition and suitability of current pool infrastructure.
The pool masterplan has been developed through community and stakeholder engagement, asset condition assessments, inspections, high level risk assessment, review of trends and industry best practice.
As part of the community engagement process, 315 community members were surveyed regarding their use of the pool facilities. Of these respondents, 94% rated the facilities as adequate or above.
Pleasingly, the report commends the advances Council has made through working with contractors, staff and community stakeholders. Efforts to mitigate the risks in safely managing lifeguarding and chemical handling at the pools was reflected in the results of a recent Royal Lifesaving Australia audit, with a measurable improvement in results from the 2018 audit.
In total, there are 40 infrastructure recommendations in the report, totalling a $3 million investment in the Cabonne swimming pools. The intention of these recommendations is to allow Cabonne Council to continue to provide safe and modern facilities to the community.
The Pools Masterplan is available for public display for 28 days online at www.cabonne.nsw.gov.au