Mayoral Column 26th March 2020
Published on 25 March 2020
Coronavirus: Council Update
Coronavirus (COVIC-19) is the talk of the world at the moment, and is an unfolding situation. Following the announcements made by the Federal and State Government earlier this week, Council has had to continue to adapt and ensure we are doing our bit in the fight against this virus.
Council has now made the decision to close many of our facilities to the public, and this was effective from Monday. These include:
- Goulburn Mulwaree Library
- Goulburn Aquatic & Leisure Centre
- Goulburn Regional Art Gallery
- Rocky Hill War Memorial Museum
- Goulburn Community Centre
- Goulburn Historic Waterworks Museum
- Visitor Information Centre.
Open spaces will continue to be accessible, but play equipment must no longer be used and gathering areas such as the Adventure Playground, Skate Park and Rage Cage are now closed.
Customer Service remains open for the time being, but Council is asking community members to please pay rates and undertake Council business online, or over the phone wherever possible. We are also encouraging use of credit card for payments, and will no longer be hosting meetings with customers in our foyer.
The Goulburn Mulwaree Animal Shelter will not be undertaking normal opening hours, but will be responding to requests as usual. Pick up of animals can be done by appointment only.
Goulburn Mulwaree Council’s main priority is the continuation of essential services. A list of these have been identified, and this will include water, wastewater, waste collection, cemeteries and environmental health along with on-call services.
We will continue to communicate with our community as the situation develops, and I recommend you monitor our Facebook page and our website for the most up to date information.
To finish on a positive, I am proud of the way our community is pulling together in this incredibly difficult time. It is going to be a tough period for businesses and individuals, with many within hospitality for example having already lost their jobs. Goulburn is a great place, and I’m confident we will continue to work together to overcome the challenges we face due to this virus.
Construction to begin on Goulburn Aquatic Centre Redevelopment
As mentioned in last week’s column, we have approved the tender for construction of the Aquatic Centre redevelopment to FDC Contracting, after negotiations on a modified layout for design and construction of the project.
It has been a significant amount of work to get to this point, and I’m really pleased to now have appointed the construction contract for stage one of the redevelopment. Preliminary works will now get underway, with a DA modification and early work construction certificate to be ticked off before construction begins in September.
We expect this to be an 18th month build period, with a target date of April 2022 for commissioning and handover upon completion – although quite obviously this could change in the coming months with the effects of Coronavirus.
The revised scope for the project includes new 8 lane 25m indoor pool, refurbishment of the existing indoor pool for use as program pool, indoor leisure pool, expanded plaza and landscaping, hydrotherapy pool, new change rooms, café linking with Victoria Park and upgrades to the outdoor pool.
Once site works commence the indoor pool will be unavailable until completion of the project, including during the 2021 winter. To minimise impacts, the 50m outdoor pool will remain open for an extended period (September to April), although it will be closed during the 2021 winter.