Swimming Centres Long Term Strateg

The City of Norwood, Payneham & St Peters owns and operates two swimming facilities. The condition of the infrastructure at both Swimming Centres is a significant issue for the Council, with the appearance and the design of both Centres limiting the Council’s ability to attract patrons an in turn meet the Council’s broader financial objectives. The infrastructure at both Swimming Centres is nearing the end of its functional life, with a review of the Centre’s swimming infrastructure, undertaken in 2008, assessing the condition of both facilities as “average” and major pipe work at both facilities being required in the near future. The condition of both facilities increases Council’s exposure to risk in terms of safety, environmental performance and increased operational costs.
Together with this, competitive pressure is being experienced from commercial and neighbouring council facilities.together with user preference for indoor venues which offer a variety of leisure opportunities and increasing expectations of aquatic leisure facilities, with features like water slides and leisure water.
The overall goal of the Swimming Centres Review is to provide guidance to the Council in the development of a long term strategy to ensure that: the Council’s swimming centre assets are managed, maintained and developed, in such a way that will effectively meet the current and changing needs of the community; and that ratepayer subsidy is maintained at current levels or reduced over the next five (5) years.
The primary objectives of the Review are to undertake a complete assessment of the management and operation of the Councils swimming centres and the current and projected costs to operate the Centres including but not limited to the feasibility of the Council operating two swimming centres in their current form (i.e. no improvement in service levels, amenity or programming), into the future; a strategy which considers the lifecycle of the swimming centre’s and provides cost estimates for future upgrades, capital works and scheduled programmed maintenance costs. This strategy should incorporate innovative new designs and technologies and environmentally sustainable practices as appropriate.