A HUGE number of locals have told us that they would love to see the Bombala Swimming Pool enclosed and heated, and now it’s time to actually help make that happen!
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The Bombala Chamber of Commerce is all set to host a community rally at the pool on Monday, March 9 at 6pm and all are strongly urged to come along and show their support.
The event is being held to demonstrate to the Bombala Council that the community is fully behind the idea, and wants the opportunity to better utilise the swimming pool throughout the year.
Last week we spoke about the many health benefits that this would bring to the community, encouraging more active lifestyles generally and offering everything from hydrotherapy to aquarobics year round.
This brings us to focus on swimming lessons, and the fact that many families travel out of the area each week in order for their children to learn to swim.
The swimming season in Bombala is currently so short and the water so cold that swimming lessons for younger children are very limited, so it is understandable that many seek out lessons elsewhere.
But what about those families who can’t afford to travel away for lessons, or that simply can’t fit it into an already hectic schedule? An enclosed and heated swimming pool would be an incredible win for both young and old who want to learn to swim right here in Bombala.
Let’s not forget that those who do travel away for lessons are also doing their shopping,enjoying something to eat and fueling up their cars, all in the larger centres away from our local area. The entire business community of Bombala stands to benefit from enclosing and heating our pool.
We could even attract people to the area by being able to host regional swimming events through our schools, with our kids being even more competitive due to being able to have swimming as a school sports choice.
And that’s without considering the numerous other benefits to the town, which include the creation of jobs at the pool complex, keeping occasional swimmers in town rather than letting them seek out better facilities elsewhere, and even providing local sports people with better training facilities.
While the Bombala Council has concerns about the expense of operating and maintaining the swimming pool year round, it seems that our Councillors are willing to consider the idea, and some of them will be present at the rally to discuss the pool’s future, including Mayor Bob Stewart.
The Chamber of Commerce believes that there are many avenues to explore in terms of securing funding for the project and offsetting maintenance costs, whether this be through grants, local fundraising initiatives or both.
They just want the chance to have the idea fully explored and for a serious effort to be put towards making this dream a reality that can benefit the entire community. Let’s show Council, our Members of Parliament, and anyone else who will listen, just how much we want this!
First of all, sign one of the petitions around town, and second make sure you join the rally at the Bombala Swimming Pool on March 9 from 6pm. There’s no better way to prove that the community stands strongly behind the idea of heating and enclosing our pool then to show up and be counted!