But Lithgow is finally to get an indoor heated pool.

Lithgow Council at this week’s meeting rejected advice of financial difficulties from general manager Roger Bailey and voted by the narrowest margins to accept a tender for the construction of the pool.

As a result the pool could become a reality by early next year.

Council officers had recommended deferment of this project on both budgetary and expediency  grounds and had sought priority for increasingly urgent upgrading of the existing outdoor 50 metre heated pool.

He warned that the need for the work was such that the outdoor pool might not be available for the forthcoming seasons.

Mr Bailey in his report said that council would have difficulty meeting the loan repayments because of so many major projects in the pipeline and a general downturn in revenue.

Most pressing was the Farmers Creek flood mitigation stage where the government’s $4.3 million grant is conditional on council’s contribution of $2.14 million.

Mr Bailey’s recommendation was for adoption of the outdoor pool upgrade as a priority to begin towards the ends of the next swimming season —with new tenders — and that the indoor component be deferred.

“I strongly urge this course of action,” he said.

Otherwise he warned significant changes would have to be made to other council programs in order to finance the indoor pool.

There was a large audience in the public gallery calling for the indoor pool. Some carried placards stating their demands.

Mr Bailey said the preferred tender for the indoor pool was $3.085 million but the cost of the outdoor pool upgrade was almost a million dollars less.

He pointed out that the government had only provided an interest subsidy and not a cash grant for the project.

When it came to the debate deputy mayor Ray Thompson moved for the acceptance of the tender of Icon Constructions in the sum of $3,085,300 (ex GST) for the indoor pool and ancillary infrastructure.

He further moved the deferment of the outdoor pool work and that council continue lobbying for government funding for this stage.

Cr Thompson said that two lots of independent consultants had estimated council would save around $100,000 a year with the indoor pool.

“People have waited 30 years for this,” he said.

“I don’t think a million dollars is a lot to find in a budget as big as ours.”

Cr Thompson said the outdoor pool could be ‘nursed along’ for another three or four years.

He was supported by Crs Wayne McAndrew and Col Hunter.

Cr Martin Ticehurst opposed the motion and called for deferment until further consideration in the draft budget

Deferring the decision for four weeks would ‘enable other people to express view’.

This was supported by Cr Joe McGinnes who said people were generally under the impression there was a government grant for the indoor pool but the government was only subsidising the interest payments.

This, he said, was so council could go  to the banks for a loan that had to be repaid over 10 years.

“This is like a balancing act in a household budget,” he said. ‘You have to work out if you can afford the payments on a new car.”  

Cr Peter Pilbeam voted with Crs Ticehurst and McGinnes for a deferment but this was defeated on the casting vote of the mayor.

The subsequent motion by Cr Thompson was carried on a 5-2 vote.

Crs Frank Inzitari and Ross Higlett had submitted apologies and were not in attendance at the meeting.

The contract calls for completion of the indoor facilities within 10 months.