Dear Beagle Editor, So now we know the NSW Liberal government have announced $26 million funding for the Mackay Park Aquatic/Arts Centre with news of a further $10 million in federal funding still to come The news was announced to an exclusive ‘private’ invitation only ‘community’ meeting, with the Premier, Local Member, Mayor, Council staff and BBIAC and selected individuals, reminiscent of Council’s selective consultation process over the years avoiding opinions and suggestions of the main stakeholders - the people who use Batemans Bays pool. What the public may not know is that at a recent meeting the Mayor, the GM and Council Directors admitted they knew the 25m pool would not be accepted by the community and would not be popular. Yet the Mayor has taken the extraordinary step at Tuesday’s Council meeting using her Mayoral minutes supported by all Councilors, except Clr Macginlay who abstained, with very little time to read, a package of motions including motion 6 - "Not include a 50m pool in the proposed centre or retain the existing 50m pool"; in the Aquatic/Arts centre. Council must be relieved. At last they can end the public conversation about the controversial replacement of the 50m pool with a 25m pool. But an important question remains unanswered by the Mayor, GM, Council Directors and Councillors that we will continue asking. How can this Council, having admitted they knew a 25m pool would not be accepted by the community, still go ahead with a plan not supported by the whole community? We know Council avoided consultation with Batemans Bay pool groups because they knew they would not get the agreement they were looking for, to justify the downsizing of the 50m pool. How can the Mayor continue to claim that Council has community support for a 25m pool? How can the Mayor justify a process that only concluded what Council set out to achieve in the first place - the replacement of the 50m pool with a 25m pool? How can the Mayor use public funding to build a project only supported by a minority of the community?
Fight for Batemans Bays 50m Pool. Names and addressed supplied
