With a $15 million grant secured through NSW Government Centre of Excellence Fund for the $45 million project, the report recommended Council obtain loan funding for its co-contribution of $30 million.

Councillors voted to adopt the strategy which explained how repayments would be sourced from  two funding streams. One would be a $15 million loan repaid using Special Rate Variation revenue which has been earmarked for renewal of Council’s assets. The second $15 million loan would be repaid though decreased expenditure and increased revenue or “one-off asset sales". “The source of the expenditure savings will be identified through Council’s regular operational procedures with future Council reports prepared for any land asset sales,” the report said. 

A development application for Stage 1 of the project was lodged with Council on 1 August and will go on public exhibition in the coming weeks. The application will be referred to the Northern Regional Planning Panel for determination.

The report Councillors endorsed advocated an operational model based on in-house staff managing the facility for an initial period and proposes investigating options for the naming and branding of the facility.

The report also makes it clear there will be continued consultation with user groups to help determine the final configuration of the facility’s main body of water. Complex factors about the specific depths required to cater for various uses are among the issues which are part of the ongoing conversations. 

Tamworth Regional Council General Manager Paul Bennett said its good to see a year-round aquatics centre is within reach after being talked about for many years. "The report shows the extensive technical research done by staff to ensure the facility we build balances design and operational efficencies to meet the community's needs while generating revenue to maintain its long-term viability," he said.

See the full report and more at trcnews.au/aquatics