Published on Friday, 25 October 2024 at 10:57:15 AM
The Town of Port Hedland Council will consider how to fast-track progress on delivering a much-needed new pool for Hedland.
At its meeting next week, the Council will consider a recommendation to change the current South Hedland Integrated Sports Hub (SHISH) project to speed up building a new pool.
Town of Port Hedland Mayor Peter Carter said costs had increased since the SHISH project was first mooted and there remained questions around the best location for a new pool.
“The SHISH project was a fantastic initiative when it was first developed in 2016. It would require us to complete a couple of construction phases around Kevin Scott Oval before we could get started on building a new pool,” Mayor Carter said.
“Costs have shot up a lot since we first came up with this plan and that’s making the budget pretty tight. In addition, we need to decide on the best location for a pool and whether it's best for the community to have it as part of a multi-purpose complex.
“Building new sports and recreation spots that suit our community is a big part of making Hedland a better place to live. But we need to do that in a financially sustainable way.”
The Council will consider whether to focus on building a new pool as a priority, and leaving other construction stages until later.
“That could see us remove the pool from the current SHISH designs so that we can build it faster,” Mayor Carter said.
“It might also mean that we hit pause on some of the other sports and recreation projects to make sure we can get this one right.
“It’s getting more urgent to deliver a new pool as both the South Hedland and Gratwick Aquatic Centres are getting close to the end of their life.”
The Council will consider the proposal at the Ordinary Council Meeting on Wednesday 30 October. All the details will be available in the Council agenda on the Town of Port Hedland’s website.
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