Designs for the new Cranbourne Aquatic and Leisure Centre including water slides and Olympic sized pool.By Sarah Schwager
CONSTRUCTION for the Cranbourne Aquatic and Leisure Centre will begin within six weeks.
At Tuesday night’s City of Casey council meeting, the tender was awarded for the state-of-the-art facility to Hansen Yuncken Pty Ltd.
Councillors were excited about the new pool, despite the project cost rising to $37 million.
In October the cost was estimated at $30 million, but a new water conservation management system and competitive tendering process have pushed the price up.
Deputy mayor Kevin Bradford said it was a great day for Cranbourne.
“At first we thought it wasn’t to be until 2010,” he said.
“Yet here we are tonight (Tuesday) awarding the tender to a superb company.”
One of the features of the leisure centre, to be built at the Casey Indoor Leisure Complex site in Cranbourne East, is that no potable mains water will be used, saving about 30 million litres of water a year.
“This will set the standard of pools created from here on in,” Cr Bradford said.
The centre also includes a 50-metre lap pool with moveable boom, a toddlers pool, hydrotherapy pool, water slides, spa, sauna and steam room, and gymnasium.
Councillor Mick Morland repeated Cr Bradford’s sentiments, but said it was a great day for Casey, not just Cranbourne, and compared it to the announcement for Casey ARC several years ago.
“This is the first of its kind in Australia,” he said.
Mayor Colin Butler said once the pool was built, the City of Casey would have the most elite sports and leisure precinct in the whole of the south east when incorporating Casey Fields and the Indoor Leisure Complex.
The council is now seeking financial contributions from both the State and Federal Governments, drawing on the project’s innovative water-saving features.
