The Beagle Editor, Your readers might be interested in a letter i have sent to Council The General Manager, Mayor and all Councillors
The council has for around three decades discussed the idea of providing a new community swimming pool and the necessary amenities at Batemans Bay. Council/Councillors and Staff are aware of the cost to all the shire residents of providing pools with the annual maintenance and replacement costs as they are with the Botanic Gardens. The accumulated costs are very substantial to all the shires residents, not just the users of those particular public facilities. The Batemans Bay area population and the aging demographics would hardly justify any expenditures of community funds on any basis providing not just a swimming pool but also the equipment for the talked about aquatic and adjacent performing arts centre. If the user pays philosophy supported by politicians and Governments is to be applied there would be very few in the shires generally regulated income community who could afford to use the Multi Million Dollar facilities as has been proposed.
Until the Batemans Bay area age demographics change and population numbers increase spending public funds on a new swimming and if you like aquatic centre cannot be justified in my opinion.
The purchase of the Old Bowling Club Site in the Mackay Park area precinct can’t be justified either. As a resident and ratepayer I cannot support what has to date been proposed with the Swimming Pool - Aquatic Centre idea that to me seems to have been developed to support a couple of Councillors election promises.
Yours Sincerely
Allan Brown
