More pool closures
If Rob De Castella's LeisureCo Foundation can't make a go of them, what hope does the Alpine council have?
It’s not too late for Alpine to bail out of this bad idea
This should make the six Alpine councillors (*) reconsider their recent decision to rush headlong into major debt by pursuing the purchase of the bankrupt & defunct Bright Indoor Swimming & Sports Centre: According to this report from ABC Online, nearby Moira council is also without its three recreational facilities after the operator, LeisureCo, went into voluntary administration last week forcing the closure of the Cobram Sports Stadium, the Nathalia Sports and Community Centre and the Numurkah Aquatic Centre.
LeisureCo is an established leisure and health club management company and has managed and owned such centres across Australia and New Zealand for more than 25 years. It also needs to be understood that LeisureCo is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Leisure Australia Foundation, a philanthropic entity Chaired by ex Olympian Robert de Castella or, in other words, it is more about providing community benefits than making big profits.
And, if an established and ethical operator like LeisureCo with more than 25 years of experience owning and managing public venues like swimming pools & health clubs cannot keep its doors open, what hope has the Alpine council got of successfully building up and running the Bright Indoor facility without incurring major losses that will be borne by the ratepayers? About zero, I’d say.
The Moria council says it is making every effort to ensure the facilities are opened to the public at the earliest possible time.
Community development manager Kaye Thomson says jobs are also a priority.
“We are hoping that the options do include employing the current staff in one way, shape, or form, so that they don’t lose their job for a long period of time and that our service delivery from those facilities doesn’t cease for very long,” she said.
The council was briefed on the matter yesterday and will make a final decision on the centre’s futures when it meets next Monday.
CEO Gary Arnold says it wants the facilities reopened as soon as possible.
“The recommendation to council will be that we enter into an interim management arrangement until September 30 this year and that between now and September 30 that we advertise tenders for a new three-year contract,” he said.
One thing is for sure, in my opinion – the Moira council won’t be so foolhardy as to ‘jump in at the deep end’ by going into major debt to keep the centres going, like Alpine is proposing to do.
What makes the Alpine council think they can succeed where the experts like LeisureCo have failed? The Bright centre is a proven ‘loser’ and while the previous operator was certainly a bit, er, suspect, what about all the other operators before him? This centre hasn’t been viable for more than 10 years and that’s due in no small part to the lack of demand for the services it provides.
I really believe the Alpine council should not proceed with this planned purchase and, instead, it should let the market sort itself out. I realise that might mean the town of Bright (population about 3,000) would be without a public swimming centre for the next couple of years or maybe longer but … well, so be it.
It’s not too hard for the very few who really need a swimming pool to get over to Wangaratta, Mt Beauty or Myrtleford is it?
(* Cr Narda Cain, who has previously expressed strong opposition to both the subsidising of a swimming centre in Bright and the notion of the council going into debt, did not attend the recent council meeting at Mt Beauty where the decision to proceed with the purchase was made)
Contact: ray@grevilleagardens.com
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Ray, this issue at Moira merely highlights the importance of having public funded facilities in towns.
If a private operator cant make it happen then it’s up to local government to fund it.
And your insistence on having people drive to Wangaratta for swimming lessons and hydrotherapy is harsh and quite plainly, wrong.
As you’ve admitted on this blog (when it suits your cause), Bright is in effect a regional hub supporting many thousands of people over and above the town’s population. If you see a massive new supermarket as such a necessity, then it only follows that families deserve a decent recreational aquatic facility as well.
I know many people at Hotham, Harrietville and other satellite towns who wouldn’t be all that happy to drive their kids all the way to Wang for a swimming lesson. Not to mention our significant seniors needing hydrotherapy.
No Ray, you’re wrong on this one. Perhaps its time for you to start thinking a bit more “civic-minded” and acknowledge the many health benefits that a revamped sports centre would provide the community.
Don’t forget – you missed it’s heyday. Before your time the sports centre was quite a social gathering place providing many health and fitness options. A couple of bad operators meant that it lost its way, so to speak.
Wal, LeisureCo is not like a normal “private operator”, it’s a philanthropic organisation whose primary aim is to provide community benefits, not to make profits, and the fact that they’ve folded indicates the lack of demand for what it provides.
I guess people are cutting back on things like recreational swimming & gym membership. That seems to be the case if you research the industry.
And NO, it does NOT automatically follow that “If a private operator can’t make it happen then it’s up to local government to fund it.” What’s wrong with waiting until market conditions improve?
Btw, there’s no correlation between this and the Coles (now Woolies) supermarket. The supermarket is owned by a corporation that has decided it will work here because of our large tourist trade, whereas the pool is a community facility with very little tourist appeal. Chalk & cheese.
And no, it’s not “harsh” to suggest people drive 30 – 45 minutes for their private lifestyle pursuits when they live in a small town like Bright. I’ve done it, what’s the big deal?
Ray, there is a correlation between this case and the Coles issue – or dont you remember all the trouble the developer and Shire went to in order to demonstrate that the supermarket application was mainly to draw in the local permanent catchment populations? There were quite a few “reports” submitted which I can easily send you to jog your memory.
And as for people driving 30-45 minutes to Wangaratta in winter?? Actually its at least 45 minutes from Bright and well over an hour from places like Harrietville (which by the way has a very large population of young adults with children). They wont be happy one bit with that kind of travel for swimming lessons, especially with todays fuel prices.
Remember – not everyone wants the same things YOU do. A lot of people do want reasonable access for swimming lessons and hydrotherapy, and Bright just happens to have the facility for that – providing this option for thousands of people.
Ray, your arguments just dont stack up. Our area NEEDS this facility and Council has done the proper thing to ensure it continues functioning. End of story.
Yes, the supermarket will reduce local “escape spending” as well as servicing tourists thereby improving Bright’s economy. What’s the correlation with a community pool though? It’s not as if we currently have a huge amount of local people “escaping” to swimming centres elsewhere and even if we did, so what? It’s not an economic benefit to give them a pool.
Get real, Wal, there aren’t enough users in this area to justify what now looks like being about a $1.5 million investment. And as for Harrietville having “a very large population”, er what, about 400? It’s just ridiculous to claim Harrietville residents should have a council pool within 10-15 minutes.
Anyway, the council has decided to go ahead. The point I’m making is that it’s going to be a real blunder and only time will prove me right. But it will.