Pool demolition to proceed

Mayor Cr Robert Bell has used his casting vote to demolish the old Woy Woy pool before it is certain that funding for the new pool project has been fully secured.

Construction of the new aquatic and indoor sports centre is expected to cost $16 million.

Cr Chris Holstein said there was a funding shortfall to be between $200,000 and $300,000, an amount that he said could be saved by cutting back on non-essential extras such as fitting out the kiosk.

Cr Holstein said that there was enough money already set aside for the project to build the basic structure.

A report is to come from council officers on April 22 which will go into detail about arrangements for the aquatic centre including projected costs.

Crs Brooks, Sansom and Cook voted to hold off on accepting a demolition tender from Eastcoast Contracting Services until after the report was presented to council.

Crs Doyle, Holstein, Penton and Bell voted to go ahead with the tender.

Cr Sansom asked what would happen if demolition of the existing complex proceeded without sufficient funds to build the new aquatic centre.

"I assume the residents on the Peninsula would go ballistic," Cr Sansom said.

"The figure is a significant shortfall on a project this size."

Cr Sansom said he thought that the shortfall was more like $1.3 million.

When asked for assurance that, given the shortfall, the project would go ahead as planned, a council officer said that $16 million was "in the bank", although there was still some funding due from the State Government.

Cr Holstein argued further that pool complex construction company representatives had advised him that any delay in proceeding with construction would increase the cost by as much as 10 per cent.

He said the project should proceed without delay.

"You can't make a cake without breaking eggs.

"Even if you have 100 per cent of the funds, you can't be sure it won't end up costing more than anticipated," Cr Holstein said.

"The shortfall is mostly the cost of the roads around the complex, anyway."

The full cost of the complex won't be known until June 5 when tenders are finalised.

Jonathan Reichard, April 3