3 December 2023: Updated with quote and audio from Hector Gaston.
The indoor pool at the Sunbury Aquatic and Leisure Centre has sprung a leak, and Hume Council can’t say when it will be patched over.
The 25m pool, part of a range of sporting facilities at the busy Ligar St complex, was closed in May 2023 for repairs to leaking water pipes.
Its much-anticipated opening on Friday 24 November was cancelled with 24 hours’ notice – disappointing keen swimmers across Sunbury.
A Hume Council spokesperson says: “The repair works that commenced in May related to damaged pipes, this led to a pool leak.
“The leak was repaired, and the pool was repainted as one of the final stages of the repair process.”
It was only after the paint job had been completed, and the pool filled with thousands of litres of water, that a leak in the pool itself was found, says the council.
“Paint was lifting in two areas of the pool base,” says a council spokesperson. “This is a significant defect and had not been evident at any time up to this point. Council’s contractor is currently investigating why this occurred.”
This latest explanation is different to the one given on Monday 27 November when the council’s director city services & living, Hector Gaston, said the delayed opening of the pool “…is due to a significant defect in the paintwork. The pool is not leaking.” (see page 6 of the council minutes). Gaston is a member of the council’s executive leadership team.
Council says the cost of repair work to the pool will be met by the council’s contractor – Roejen Services. The council is claiming on its insurance and says it is not able to give a date for the reopening of the pool.
According to council figures, the leisure centre had 2,016 members in 2022, the current number is 1,941.
See our previous pool report: Closed swimming pool drama continues
| Council Swimming School Waiting Lists | Year | On the list |
|---|---|---|
| Broadmeadows Aquatic and Leisure Centre | 2021 | None |
| Broadmeadows Aquatic and Leisure Centre | 2022 | 1,102 |
| Broadmeadows Aquatic and Leisure Centre | 2023 | 2,684 |
| Sunbury Aquatic and Leisure Centre | 2021 | None |
| Sunbury Aquatic and Leisure Centre | 2022 | 294 |
| Sunbury Aquatic and Leisure Centre | 2023 | 75 |
| Splash Aqua Park and Leisure Centre, Craigieburn | 2021 | 8,514 |
| Splash Aqua Park and Leisure Centre, Craigieburn | 2022 | 9,292 |
| Splash Aqua Park and Leisure Centre, Craigieburn | 2023 | 10,774 |
