A PARKDALE swimming pool will be permanently closed after it was deemed unsafe by council.
Don Tatnell Leisure Centre has been shut down after the discovery of what council says were “serious structural issues”.
“Recently council detected issues at the centre during maintenance works on pipework under the pool. We temporarily closed the centre hoping that repair works could see the facility reopened,” the mayor Georgina Oxley said.
“Sadly, during the works we discovered major structural issues caused by water leaks over time that have left the foundations on very unstable ground.
“Council was facing $9 million in costs and a 10 month closure simply to return the ageing building to a usable state, without any improvement in services to the community. Instead we will focus on developing a new, modern centre that meets the current and future needs of our community.”
The pool had been open for more than 40 years.
Members of the leisure centre will be contacted with the option to transfer their membership to Waves Leisure Centre in Highett.
A report will be prepared for council looking into costs and potential locations for a new aquatic centre.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 4 March 2020
