Emma Pritchard

While Clarence Valley councillors remain divided over the impending costs and borrowing capacity to enable the Grafton Aquatic Centre redevelopment to go ahead following an extraordinary meeting last month, residents gathered outside the Grafton Olympic Pool on August 31 to voice their concerns while lamenting the possible reality of waiting a further three years or more to have access to what many of them describe as a valuable, much-needed, and long overdue resource.

Among them was Vice President of the Grafton District Services Club (GDSC) Swimming Club Steve Donnelly, who said its important community members come together and let councillors know how they’re feeling as they urge them to “bite the bullet” and deliver the project.

“I honestly think the community of Grafton, and all Clarence Valley residents, should phone, email, and write to the councillors, and tell them we want the full project delivered,” he said. 

“If you’re going to build the complex and you’ve got the capacity to do it, why not do it?

“How much longer will we be waiting?”

His words were echoed by another Grafton resident Allan Marsh, who said there has been inaction and a cost blowout since council first unveiled the Grafton Aquatic Centre to the community, while the tenders submitted were more than originally anticipated.

“There was a rescission motion for those tenders not to go ahead, but for the community’s sake, the Grafton Aquatic Centre needs to be built,” he explained.

“We’re in a very difficult situation.

“Council have got to make the decision to go ahead with the complex and borrow the funds if necessary to do it.

“If there’s a delay, the longer we will have to wait before we have a pool, and for a town like Grafton, that’s disgraceful.”

Cr Allison Whaites, who attended the community gathering last week, emphasised her commitment to ensuring Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the Grafton Aquatic Centre are built together, and strongly urged locals to continue to fight for the project.

“I want the community to know the process hasn’t stopped, but it could be stopped at the next meeting if the same councillors decide to bring another motion to the council,” she said.

“If we don’t vote on the tender this month, and we have to go back to the beginning, it could be another five years (until Grafton gets a pool).

“We want to make sure this pool is done by the end of next year.”

The next council meeting will be held on September 26.

Many who were present at the community gathering last week confirmed they will be in attendance.