COM: SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre | $100m

[Omicron]

You know, I'd much rather this space be used to create a sort of town centre or civic space for the City of Marion, or indeed, the inner south. The cultural centre (a delightful building) is already there, so relocate the council headquarters alongside, create a public park and so forth. It'd add some legitimacy to the Marion triangle's status as a metropolitan centre.

A swimming centre is fine too, though. But, again, allow me to complain about how intolerably LONG this project is taking!

Our council rates are bad enough without delightful add-ons to pay for a grandiose new home for the Council.

[Norman]

An updated timeline?

March 08
• Resolve design for facilities
• Financial close / contractual arrangements
• Approvals
April 08
• Contract for provision of Domain land and $ 5m contribution with Aqua43
Mid 2008
• Tender for Construction
• Commence construction
Sept 09
Open facilities

Current Activities (Feb 2008)
1. Contractual
City of Marion and State Government preparing contractual arrangements with Aqua43
2. Implementation of SAC and GPP City of Marion continuing to working with State Government and Aqua43 to develop a detailed design for SAC, GP Plus and the Domain

Milestones Achieved
• Concept Proposal considered by Council and State Cabinet
• Leisure water operator appointed by Aqua43

[Will]

An updated timeline?

March 08
• Resolve design for facilities
• Financial close / contractual arrangements
• Approvals
April 08
• Contract for provision of Domain land and $ 5m contribution with Aqua43
Mid 2008
• Tender for Construction
• Commence construction
Sept 09
Open facilities

Current Activities (Feb 2008)
1. Contractual
City of Marion and State Government preparing contractual arrangements with Aqua43
2. Implementation of SAC and GPP City of Marion continuing to working with State Government and Aqua43 to develop a detailed design for SAC, GP Plus and the Domain

Milestones Achieved
• Concept Proposal considered by Council and State Cabinet
• Leisure water operator appointed by Aqua43

There was a small article a few weeks ago in the Messenger stating that there had been another setback for this project, and that it should be now completed 6 months later than what was anticipated.

[SRW]

Ridiculous.

[Shuz]

I can remember back when I used to go to swimming lessons, those signs were up then in the Domain (and that was like what, 6-8 years ago?) I've given up all hope that it'll even go ahead. Theres been so many setbacks, delays, etc. All we might see is a tumbleweed roll across the site if we're lucky.

[crawf]

It will happen

The same was said about the Airport Terminal, Bus Terminal etc

[cruel_world00]

Finally some kind of news. Just reported on 9 that Rann has signed off on the new centre.

Comment from the some people within the ACC was that they weren't happy and that the aquatic centre should be closer to the CBD. These little f**** are so hard to please. Try and develop within the CBD and they cry foul, develop too far away and they complain. Sack the lot I say

[SRW]

Finally some kind of news. Just reported on 9 that Rann has signed off on the new centre.

Comment from the some people within the ACC was that they weren't happy and that the aquatic centre should be closer to the CBD. These little f**** are so hard to please. Try and develop within the CBD and they cry foul, develop too far away and they complain. Sack the lot I say

The council is very different now to what it was in years past, and since the last election I don't think there's been a single decision made that anyone here would object to strenuously. There are, of course, still a few of those councillors whose opinions are frustrating to progress, but as much as that is so, I don't think it's necessary to tar the entire council with the same brush. Such people will always exist, but so long as they don't actually get their way, who cares.

In any event, thank you for the update. I hope more details will be be forthcoming?

[ozisnowman]

Although this is better than not being built at all and probably better for me cause i live close to marion
i think the governements distributed sporting complex policy is not good for sports in this state.
If this government is serious about holding world class sporting events it should create a sports
precinct near the city...

Imagine what it would have been like to have an upgraded Adelaide Oval capable of hosting, top class cricket
and football, an upgraded memorial drive tennis centre capable of hosting a world class tennis tournament
a world class swimming and diving pool next door rather than that fitness club...
Then across the torrens a world class Football and Athletics stadium, linked by footbridge etc.

Would have looked great....

[cruel_world00]

Although this is better than not being built at all and probably better for me cause i live close to marion
i think the governements distributed sporting complex policy is not good for sports in this state.
If this government is serious about holding world class sporting events it should create a sports
precinct near the city...

Imagine what it would have been like to have an upgraded Adelaide Oval capable of hosting, top class cricket
and football, an upgraded memorial drive tennis centre capable of hosting a world class tennis tournament
a world class swimming and diving pool next door rather than that fitness club...
Then across the torrens a world class Football and Athletics stadium, linked by footbridge etc.

Would have looked great....

You need vision for that, unfortunately.

[Pat28]

Although this is better than not being built at all and probably better for me cause i live close to marion
i think the governements distributed sporting complex policy is not good for sports in this state.
If this government is serious about holding world class sporting events it should create a sports
precinct near the city...

Imagine what it would have been like to have an upgraded Adelaide Oval capable of hosting, top class cricket
and football, an upgraded memorial drive tennis centre capable of hosting a world class tennis tournament
a world class swimming and diving pool next door rather than that fitness club...
Then across the torrens a world class Football and Athletics stadium, linked by footbridge etc.

Would have looked great....

You need vision for that, unfortunately.

..and its SA, any Politician lacks that minor detail - vision or logic for that matter

[fishinajar]

I strongly agree...$100M on AAMI, $40-60M on the Marion swimming centre, $Ms more proposed on other sports facility upgrades-spread all over metropolitan Adelaide.

I fear we are missing a golden opportunity to plan for the future and better capitalise on this expenditure.

The facilities do not even need to be grouped together if a good enough tram/ train network/loop connects them all. Infact I think this would be better-spread the love, allow the cbd to florish all over and capitalise on transport/ weekend parking availability and not overload one areas carpark centres too much.

[Paulns]

Although this is better than not being built at all and probably better for me cause i live close to marion
i think the governements distributed sporting complex policy is not good for sports in this state.
If this government is serious about holding world class sporting events it should create a sports
precinct near the city...

Imagine what it would have been like to have an upgraded Adelaide Oval capable of hosting, top class cricket
and football, an upgraded memorial drive tennis centre capable of hosting a world class tennis tournament
a world class swimming and diving pool next door rather than that fitness club...
Then across the torrens a world class Football and Athletics stadium, linked by footbridge etc.

Would have looked great....

Yep couldn't have said it myself..... VISION

[Jim]

This is another one of those great ideas in the wrong spot, the police barracks on Port road, the old E&WS site opposite it, the old flinders St Bus terminal or even that gap between the convention centre and the Morphett Street Bridge would have been a better sites. To keep Adelaide (CBD) alive we need to keep adding not taking away!

[Wayno]

Is this good news?

Is this good news given S-A consensus seems to be that an aquatic centre should be more central (next to the CBD - dare i say in the railyards EP)?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009 ... 459003.htm

Doubts over swim centre project

A private company has walked away from an agreement to manage the proposed state aquatic centre at Marion and there are concerns that the economic slowdown may cause further delays.

The land is ready and the funding locked in, but the $50 million centre is yet to be built.

Macquarie Leisure has not revealed why it walked away from the project, leaving a consortium of private investors to find a new centre manager.

Bruce Hull, from the aquatic centre committee, is concerned.

"It would take months, maybe longer, to find another operator - that's in this current financial climate - who knows we might not find one at all," he said.

Marion council is disappointed, but mayor Felicity-Ann Lewis is confident the centre will be built.

"Any delays to major projects are always frustrating but I've been working on this project for nine years now and so something that might be in the order of a couple of months is really insignificant," she said.

The council, state and federal governments are all putting in more than $30 million for the project, with private investors contributing the rest.

But there is concern that, with Macquarie Leisure pulling out, private investor Macquarie Capital may follow.

The South Australian Government says it will not take any action until it receives advice from the consortium.

Mr Hull says there is an urgent need for the centre.

"For the elite swimmers, many of them are going interstate now to train," he said.

"That's a position that we need to change.

"Come winter the (existing) Marion pool will close as it normally does and swimmers will have little (sic) places to go to."

The committee wants the Government to declare the state aquatic centre a major development project.