did you attend last nights council meeting?

no doubt you will post the events of the meeting?

Which seems to confirm that not many people really use it or need it.

Is it essential, Mandy?

If it’s used just as much for recreation and personal lifestyle choices (like gym work and those who just ‘enjoy a swim’) then why should it be provided by the council?

Most of the use sounds like private pursuits and you can’t expect others to fund that for you. Why can’t you travel to the other towns?

Yes, the council needs to simply say “NO”, once and for all. Then the problem will ‘go away’ or, more correctly, the users will realise they have to go to another town until such time as a private owner finally buys it and upgrades it.

The climate is not right for that at the moment but that shouldn’t be a reason for the council ‘jumping in at the deep end’ with our money.

I didn’t mind and it did not once enter my head that the rest of the community where I lived had a “social responsibility” to my kids by providing a facility closer to where I lived.

What is wrong with those families in Bright wanting to teach their kids to swim having to travel to either Mt Beauty, Myrtleford or Wangaratta?

Paul, I fundamentally disagree with that. It’s the parents’ responsibility to have their children taught to swim not the community’s.

What was the split between grog and chops? Good story though and I suspect it might have more than a grain of truth in it. Sometimes our bureaucrats can be pretty gullible and as for councilors……………????

I think these things should be privately run and that the users cannot realistically expect everyone else to provide their pastimes and sporting hobbies for them (which makes up a lot of the use).

The previous owner of the Bright Indoor Centre went bankrupt partly because he blew all the income (which included a council subsidy of $100,000 per year) on fast cars and dud property investments but also because the thing is a dud. The owner prior to him went broke too. Then the council rejected an offer from a proposed purchaser wanting a similar deal.

The point is, that it’s pretty obvious this centre is both sub-standard (very sub-standard) and a financial basket case – a real loser of a proposition. And if private industry can’t make a go of it then how do you think the council will go? They’ll lose even more $s because the first thing they’ll do is hire a ‘business manager’ and heaps of other staff.

Nice addition to ‘the empire’ though.

I think this is something like what Ray thinks should happen in Bright, and I’d tend to agree.

If you live in a town of just 3,000 people you can’t expect an indoor heated pool to be provided for your use.

Anyway, you are still talking in vagueries about this. Yes, yes, yes, in an ideal world we’d have a council-owned swimming pool, but it’s far from ideal and it does not simply follow that because it is “needed” we should “have one”. We’d all like a heated indoor pool in our backyards, Wal, but most of us would say, well that’s an indulgence I can’t afford at the moment.

As for the “growing numbers of families”, well people are moving here and that’s good. But when they moved here they knew it was a small town without everything you could ask for. What’s the problem in going to Wang, Myrtleford or Mt Beauty? It’s not that far.

I’m not suggesting we never have one but, as I said above, it’s probably best to build the economy first and try to attract a private developer/owner. You haven’t addressed anything I’ve said yet.

Anyway, I agree that the issue is important and it’s good to see that you understand that the Bright community needs a pool.

As for “should we have one”…. well, er, yes. If we “need” a pool, then it logically follows that the powers that be (in this case the Alpine Shire Council) are obliged to do all they can to ensure that we do have one. Which is what they are doing.

There’s a rapidly growing number of young families in Bright that would take exception to a push to remove the swimming facility, not to mention the equally fast growing number of seniors that consider access to hydrotherapy a necessity.

The question I asked was “should we have one?” and that means looking at the wider economic picture and I think, in the circumstances, we cannot afford this yet. Not when the council is shelving major capital works that would stimulate the economy and attract private owners to invest, as should be the case.

As for your comment, I understand all that but you’re talking in vague terms. What are the numbers, precisely? I think you’ll find the users are no more than about 200, if that.

The problem is that Bright is just too small to sustain this and that’s why no Government funding is available.

Ironically, if the council focused more on infrastructure that would improve Bright’s economy (like Bright Future) then a private investor may be encouraged to purchase the pool and revamp it to include such features as a day spa that might appeal to tourists and that might then see it a viable operation.

But there is not enough encouragement for the private sector to invest here, and that’s why we see very few major developments (save Woolies) going ahead.

You see Wal, private developments actually benefit the community and the best way council can assist this small community to achieve the facilities it needs/wants is to help it grow economically, not by buying into a losing proposition.

Presumably any major capital investment made by council, and funded by debt is open to public scrutiny and includes realistic projections about capacity to repay debt without imposing additional burden on ratepayers.

I assume the proposal includes more than just the pool – for 1 million bucks I’d expect more than a run-down, indoor pool!

However, I don’t see the proposal as a total indulgence. A public pool where children can learn to swim, year round, is not indulgent but an absolute necessity and the communities’ social responsiblity.

But weight lifting equipment for the Alpha male minority to ‘pump up’ whilst looking at themselves in a mirror would be a total waste of resources in my mind… if that’s also part of the proposal.

I wonder if the council are more interested in ticking boxes on their ‘Things to do in Bright…’ checklist, rather than considering projects of real significance/value.