The Community Consultation Period Has Commenced !

Georges River Council is currently considering the long-term future of Carss Park Pool and Gym.
The council’s analysis and recommendations for Carss Park Pool are included in the council’s Draft Open Space, Recreation and Community Facilities Strategy.

Unfortunately, two of the council’s recommendations are to close the pool or to relocate the pool.  Alternatively the pool could be replaced with a newer facility on the same site.  All of these options would probably involve demolishing the current structures.

It has been proposed that a Site Suitability and Feasibility Assessment should be done of the facilities at Carss Park Pool.

We encourage you to have your say about saving Carss Park Pool by responding to the council before this window of opportunity closes on *Sunday 7th April 2019.

The exhibition period opened on Monday 3rd December 2018, and the Georges River Council’s “Your Say” portal for the Draft Open Space, Recreation and Community Facilities Strategy was publicly published online a couple of days later.

You can also view information about the exhibition period in the Public Exhibitions section of the Council’s website: Click on the link to Open Space, Recreation and Community Facilities Strategy, and the Draft Strategy is under “Attachments“ at the bottom of the page.

The Draft Strategy can also be viewed at:

• Georges River Council Civic Centre,  MacMahon Street (cnr Dora St), Hurstville,  between 8.30am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday

• Georges River Libraries

CARSS PARK POOL is noted on pages;
9, 11, 155, 156, 159-160, 162, 164, 166-168, 188, 190, 204-205, 207, and 209 of the Draft Open Space, Recreation and Community Facilities Strategy.

Further comments about aquatic facilities (including those in other areas) can be found on pages;
15, 163, 165, 170, 172, 180, 181-182, 211, 217, 221-225 of the Draft Strategy.

There are  suggestions of alternative locations, for example as part of a future Masterplan for Jubilee Stadium (p10-11, 108, 167-168, 182, 188, 207, 209).  Rumours have suggested Todd Park may also be considered, but this location currently doesn’t appear to be named specifically in this Draft Strategy.

The comments on Carss Park Pool are interesting to compare with the evaluation of Hurstville Aquatic Leisure Centre and Sans Souci Leisure Centre (pp108, 135, 138, 141-144, 157-168, 189, 209).

Comments are also made in the Draft Strategy about other locations and facilities in and around Carss Park and the ‘Carss Park District Hub’ (eg. p190, 201); such as Carss Bush Park Reserve (eg. pp85-89); Baths (p167), outdoor exercise equipment and children’s playground (pp84, 201, 231, 233); the Carss Park Lifesaving Hall (pp45-49), Carss Cottage Museum, and Artist-in-Residence Cottage (p89); the 3Bridges Community Centre, Gardens & straw bale shed, and St George Men’s Shed (p85, 89); and the playing fields on Carss Park Flats, Parkside Drive Reserve (Charles Pirie Playing Fields), Harold Fraser Oval, and Todd Park (pp110-113, 123-126, 144, 190, 227-228) including an analysis of their suitability for conversion to synthetic turf fields.

You can also search in the document by these keywords to find more references to these facilities.

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BACKGROUND
Following community and stakeholder consultation (which closed on 25 June 2018) and research regarding the community’s use of open space, recreation facilities, community centres and libraries, the Council developed a draft Open Space, Recreation and Community Facilities Strategy.

More information about this history can be found;
– on the Your Say section of the council’s website,
– in the agenda of the Community and Culture Standing Committee Meeting on the 12th November 2018,
– our report about our speeches made at recent council meetings,
– and within the downloadable Draft Strategy document itself.
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The previous aquatic centre reports that were tabled in council meetings (eg. the “Cardno Report”) and the previous recommendations (to convert it to a car park) that inform the Draft Strategy can be found here;

“Cardno Report” on the current state of the three local council-owned aquatic facilities (in the agenda of the GRC Council Meeting on 06-02-2017, on pages 285-368);
http://infoweb.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/grinfocouncil/Open/2017/02/CCL_06022017_AGN_AT.PDF

Four recommendations for Carss Park Pool, three of which involve covering the site with “Additional Parking” (in the agenda of the GRC Finance and Governance Standing Committee Meeting, 12-06-2018, FIN051-18 on pages 26-36);
http://infoweb.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/grinfocouncil/Open/2018/06/FIN_12062018_AGN_AT.PDF

Further recommendations in the minutes of the GRC Finance and Governance Standing Committee Meeting on 12-06-2018 on page 3;
http://infoweb.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/grinfocouncil/Open/2018/06/FIN_12062018_MIN.PDF
and Council Meeting on 25-06-2018, page 12;
http://infoweb.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/grinfocouncil/Open/2018/06/CCL_25062018_MIN.PDF
There is no absolute decision, for or against, on the four options above, but simply a vote to defer a decision about Carss Park Pool until after this Draft Strategy and the future Suitability & Feasibility Study.

The webcast of the council meeting on 25-06-2018 can be watched from 44:00 to 1:04:00 at;
http://www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/Home/Pages/Council-Meetings/COUNCIL-MEETING-WEBCAST-ARCHIVE

WHAT YOU CAN DO
While this opportunity is available, we need as many people as possible to indicate to the council how important Carss Park Pool is to us, to prevent its demolition.

It would be great if you could READ AND COMMENT ON THE DRAFT STRATEGY by forwarding a written submission to The General Manager via:

Mail:       Georges River Council, PO Box 205, Hurstville BC 1481
Email:     mail@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au
Online:   Your Say Georges River

All submissions must be received by close of business on Sunday 7th April 2019*.

All submissions received  will be made publicly available on request.

For further information contact Georges River Council by telephone 9330 6400 or by email.

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KEEPING IN TOUCH
To receive updates, hear other people’s views, and read further information to use in your submission, then please join or follow any of our Save Carss Park Pool groups or pages, or subscribe to our Save Carss Park Pool e-newsletter.

*Submission date changed to Sunday 7th April 2019 (was 1st March)