THE need to provide a facility for the future has led to a design for a water park for Griffith.
Councilor and Griffith Business Chamber member Paul Snaidero believes it is all about looking at the bigger picture.
“The business chamber has for some years now advocated that if we are going to do a 50m pool lets do it properly,” he said
“Their view is maybe we need to take a big picture perspective looking forward not the immediate future I mean long term for the next 40-50 years.”
Cr Snaidero is proposing the new water park be build on the site of the current aquatic centre and potentially moving the Police Youth and Citizens Club located next door to a different location such as West End.
The hope is a new facility being able to provide a whole range of options for the community .
“We want to utilise that whole area as far as an aquatic leisure facility where people can go and have barbecues,” he said.
“Where we can build a grandstand, where we can host proper sporting events based on a 50 metre pool for Olympic Trials or Olympic training.”
The one thing the councillor does not want to see is a knee-jerk reaction from his counterparts.
“My view and also the view of the business chamber is that the proposal to put a 50-metre pool on the present site is shoehorning it in,” he said.
At this stage while Griffith City Council is committed to exploring funding opportunities for the concept, which it plans will cost around $5.5 millioln.
However, while council’s plan is yet to be seen, Mayor John Dal Broi said it’s smaller compared with the design Cr Snaidero has presented.
“The concept plan depicted has not been seen or considered at this stage,” he said.
“The scale of the development in the photo is far greater than that planned by council.”
However as Cr Snaidero pointed out there is also an essence of safety to the idea.
He says a more appetising swimming facility can potentially stop people from using the dangerous channels surrounding Griffith.
“We can provide a facility which means more business for the town it just has a snowball effect moving forward,” he said.
“I don't believe (the community) would feel comfortable with a pool shoehorned in on the existing site and we need to look at the big picture going forward.”
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Liam Warren
As someone with an underlying passion about sport it is a privilege to report on the sporting landscape around the MIA
As someone with an underlying passion about sport it is a privilege to report on the sporting landscape around the MIA
