By Tate Papworth
Brimbank council is yet to receive funding for its ambitious $60 million redevelopment of the St Albans Leisure Centre, but plans are afoot to upgrade the municipality’s other leisure centre in Sunshine.
Brimbank council has flagged plans for a $35 million redevelopment of the Sunshine centre, releasing a master plan for public consultation.
The plan includes a staged implementation to enable works to be undertaken when money is available.
The six stages include an indoor warm water pool and hall ($9.7 million); indoor water play unit and hall ($6.9 million); front of house areas ($5.3 million); outdoor pool and grounds ($7.4 million); health and fitness expansion ($4.7 million); and first floor administration areas ($1 million).
Cr Sam David, who was part of the council that built the current pool, said the job done at the time was a mistake.
“One of my bigger, perhaps regrets, in all my years as a councillor was the swimming pool in Sunshine,” he said last week.
“We should’ve finished the jigsaw then, in reference to building something for tomorrow, but we built something for that particular time.
“It’s good to learn. If you make mistakes, you have to try to correct them.
“I’m very deeply supportive of building something for tomorrow and if we build it, we have to build it to the best of all. This is what we haven’t done in Sunshine.”
Cr Margaret Giudice, who was also part of that council, said it was time for an upgrade.
“We built what we could at the time, under the advice that we had and the money that we had,” she said.
“We all knew in our hearts that somewhere down the track, that leisure centre would have to be refurbished and this master plan does identify that.
“There’s no reason why this city can’t have two fantastic leisure centres.”
