With the recent announcement from Logan City Council that the Eagleby Aquatic Centre will be closed permanently, they have set up a Community Visioning Session at the site.
This Thursday, 11 August, in the outside carpark of the much-loved pool, Cr Karen Murphy, along with other staff from council, will be onsite to listen to residents share their ideas on what they want to see at the site.
To sweeten the deal, council will also be offering a free sausage sizzle to anyone who comes along to the event.
“Eagleby, come share your ideas! We’ll have some great activities to spark your ideas and creativity for the future of this site,” Cr Murphy posted on her councillors Facebook page.
Eagleby Aquatic Centre has been used by the community for more than 30 years and has provided an important service for Eagleby.
The decision by council to close the site is due to a current workplace health and safety investigation at the site and with council recognising that the ageing infrastructure is now approaching the end of its life.
While council has not disclosed any information regarding the workplace health and safety investigation, it is believed that the investigation is due to a worker being electrocuted while carrying out pool cleaning as powerlines run overhead.
Although there are speculations on the reasons, eight councillors voted this be the best decision for the community, unlike the five, including Cr Murphy, who voted to keep the site open.
In the agenda of the July 2022 City Governance Committee meeting, it was put that the council is looking at stage two of the redevelopment of the Beenleigh Aquatic Centre as the site is neatly 60 years old, consists of only a summer pool and is nonstandard size.
The agenda also mentioned that the redevelopment will also allow for the rationalisation of the aquatic centres around Beenleigh. Council have projected the total cost of stage two to be $15 million with council to pick up $10.5 million of it.
With the closed-door meetings discussing the full reasoning and decision-making, Eagleby locals are scratching their heads as to the real reason the loved pool site is never to be reopened as a pool.
Eagleby Community Visioning Session – 3.30pm – 6pm, Outside carpark at the Eagleby Aquatic Centre, Thursday 11 August 2022.