By Ethan Benedicto
The decision for the City of Casey to remove multiple pools and slides from Doveton Pool in the Park was bittersweet, following the last few years’ worth of campaigning from local residents.
During the special council meeting on Tuesday 28 May, director of city planning and city infrastructure James Collins gave the final confirmation of the “decommissioning of the program pool, the toddler pool, slides and Gambetta room”.
While this decision is not new and had been a riveting topic in 2022, surrounding the ‘Save Doveton Pool’ campaign, Stefan Koomen, one of the half dozen residents who submitted a question on Tuesday’s meeting, said “we did everything we could”.
“So council you know, committed to maintaining the facade, but not keep them as pools I guess; what they did say was, [since] we ran this campaign, we spoke to the administrators and the officers and they’ve committed to have some water play areas at the park and fun activities for little ones.
“That’s positive; we’re pleased with that, our efforts made a difference and if we didn’t run the campaign, the whole thing would have been demolished,” he said.
On 16 August 2022, it was decided that council would endorse the $21.14 million master plan to retain the 50-metre pool.
Mr Collins added during the meeting that “there will be a number of programs offered to ensure the 50-metre pool will provide a service to people of all ages and abilities, including young children and their families”.
“The adopted Doveton Pool and Park master plan seeks to balance demonstrated community need, maximise usage for a range of activities year-round and recognise practical realities of funding such assets for the community,” he said.
The entire campaign and their efforts, is what Stefan considers a “victory”.
“It’s been fantastic to see everyone come together and I just want to thank the whole community for getting behind the campaign.
“But I guess it shows there’s still more work, we’ve got to be vigilant to make sure that they [council] deliver on what they’ve committed.”
