Kogarah War Memorial Pool: A Grateful Community Remembers Its Past

The Kogarah Bay Progress Association has commissioned a report detailing the history of the pool and its dedication as an important war memorial. Eminent war memorial historian, Dr Darren Mitchell, has written the first phase of the report.

Read the Report here.

READ THE REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.

Sign the pledge:  https://forms.gle/bz9MfcP9tXobNTmT6 

Councillors vote 8-7 to demolish Carss Park Pool

On 25 May 2020 in a complete betrayal of the community, Blakehurst Ward Councillor Sandy Grekas moved a motion which Councillor Sam Elmir seconded which voted to demolish Carss Park Pool immediately and proceed with spending more public money to proceed with Todd Park as the preferred pool location and investigate whether an aquatic megacentre can actually be built at Todd Park.

So not only did these two Councillors vote to kill off a pool in their ward that the community has begged them to keep and rebuild, they now want to take away a sports playing field at Todd Park as well.

The motion was won 8-7, with the following Councillors supporting them: Mayor Kevin Greene, Warren Tegg, Lou Konjaski, Christina Wu, Nancy Liu & Stephen Aguis.

Carss Park Pool decision slammed as ‘betrayal of the community’.

Read the final Regional Site Suitability and Feasibility Study produced by Otium Planning Group.

MAyor Greene blocks Councillor Landsberry at June 22 Council Meeting

SUBMISSIONS CLOSE 28 FEB

Email To: regionalaquatics@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au

Please CC Councillors & our campaign email on your submissions. Email addresses below:

kgreene@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; selmir@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; sgrekas@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; klandsberry@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; vbadalati@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; nliu@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; cwu@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; sagius@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; nkatris@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; chindi@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; Lkonjarski@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; wtegg@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; rkastanias@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; csymington@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; lpayor@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au; rebuildcarssparkpool@gmail.com;

Email Subject: SUBMISSION – Draft Regional Aquatic Facilities Site Suitability and Feasibility Study

SAMPLE SUBMISSION

Attn: General Manager,

Please listen to the overwhelming community feedback and rebuild Carss Park Pool on the current site, where it has been a focal community gathering point and breeding ground of Olympic and world champions for over 50 years. The Geotech report confirms the site is suitable so there is absolutely no reason why Georges River Council should be canvassing other sites. Carss Park Pool, a much-loved existing community asset, is a heritage item in the Kogarah LEP and was built with community funds, by the community, for the community. Georges River Council should be doing everything it can to protect and preserve this existing important community asset. Carss Park Pool is named the Kogarah War Memorial Pool in recognition of the 25% RSL contribution to the construction of the pool and also to acknowledge and remember those brave people who died representing their country. There is $5m federal funding committed to the rebuilding of Carss Park Pool, which is not on offer for any alternative sites.

Todd Park should not be considered a potential location as it would result in the loss of precious green open space and sports playing fields, it has very poor site access, which would be unsuitable for school buses and exiting the site would be extremely difficult. The impact on residents in Bunyala St and Miowera Ave would be catastrophic. A regional aquatic facility on this site would further increase traffic congestion at Princes Hwy, King Georges Road and Stuart St, Blakehurst which is the main junction feeding into the suburbs of Blakehurst and Bald Face.

Jubilee Oval, also a heritage item, should also not be considered a potential location for a regional aquatic facility as it would also result in the loss of Kogarah Park, one of few precious green open space areas in Kogarah. The location, in a highly congested, dangerous intersection is not suitable. Further, it is located opposite a major public school, so is situated in a school zone which increases the danger to school children with an increase of 400 vehicular movements in the am and pm peak times.

There is no community demand for relocating Carss Park Pool from the existing site. The existing location is suitable and the ideal place for an aquatic facility. The alternative locations are both unsuitable and will have major negative impacts on the community.

Georges River Council should proceed with developing concept plans and costings, business plans and a site detailed assessment so cost benefit analysis and funding strategies can be developed to commence the rebuilding of the Kogarah War Memorial Pool on the current site in Carss Park as the third aquatic facility for the Georges River local government area.

georges river council closes pool permanently

On 23rd July 2019 Georges River Council made the decision to permanently close Carss Park Pool, citing direction from the EPA to stop chlorinated water entering the Georges River. Read more about Council’s decision and reports commissioned here. SMH wrote this article about the closure. See the public’s view in these Letters to the Editor in 2nd Aug edition.

Draft regional aquatic site suitability and feasibility study - please write submissions

Georges River Council have put on public exhibition the Draft Regional Aquatic Site Suitability and Feasibility Study. Submissions close on 28th Feb 2020. We need as many people as possible in the community to write submissions to the Council telling them the community want Carss Park Pool rebuilt on the current site.

Send submissions to regionalaquatics@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au or via this online form.

The Rebuild Carss Park Pool Action Group wrote this letter to The Mayor with a series of questions about the Draft Study. We await a reply.

The campaign group will also be printing this flyer to distribute via letterbox drop to neighbouring suburbs. If you are able to help distribute flyers, please email rebuildcarssparkpool@gmail.com.

draft submission in word doc format

open space, recreation and community facilities strategy

Council Meeting Mon 26 Aug - to adopt Open Space Strategy

Thank you to Nick Katris for Kogarah Bay Ward who moved a motion and Sam Elmir - Deputy Mayor - Georges River Council who seconded the motion to amend the recommendation to the Open Space, Recreation and Community Facilities Strategy, so that it was much more positive about a new aquatic facility in Carss Park.

The amended recommendation recognised Clr Elmir’s previous Notice of Motion from April 2018 that stated a Site Suitability & Feasibility Report is prepared for the construction of a new Georges River regional aquatic facility in the Carss Park recreation and sporting precinct and that other sites are to be investigated ‘should the Carss Park precinct not be found to be suitable’.

Clr Katris’s motion removed the recommendation that stated ‘the study consider suitable locations across the city for a third aquatic facility including (but not limited to) Carss Park and Netstrata Jubilee Stadium’.

In the lead up to this meeting, Prime Minister Scott Morrison reaffirmed his election commitment of $5m towards the refurbishment or rebuilding of the Kogarah War Memorial Pool (Carss Park pool) - but only on its current site. In a letter to Georges River Council mayor, Kevin Greene, Mr Morrison said the funding will only be provided to repair or rebuild the pool in its current location. Read the Leader article here. On the day of the meeting, in an interview with Alan Jones, Mayor Kevin Greene still would not commit to the rebuilding of Kogarah War Memorial Pool at Carss Park.

See The Leader article following this meeting.

This was a fantastic result for the Build Carss Park Pool campaign and we thank all 15 Councillors who unanimously supported this motion.

The fight is far from over. But this puts the Save Carss Park Pool campaign in a much stronger position.

We await the Site Suitability and Feasibility Report from Council and will update the community when this is published.

We also thank Kathryn Landsberry - Labor for Blakehurst Ward, GRC who has been one of the strongest supporters of the Build Carss Park Pool campaign since the outset and spoke strongly of her support for Carss Park Pool at this meeting.

Build Carss Park Pool was represented by 3 speakers who addressed Councillors at the Council meeting. You can view the speeches & Councillors Motions on Council’s webcast at the times outlined below:-
38.38 (Elise), 45.41 (Brae), 49.12 (Indiana Belle), 1.08.54 (Councillor Katris motion), 2.38.28 (Councillor Landsberry motion). See Webcast.

Community and Culture Committee Meeting

The Open Space, Recreation and Community Facilities Strategy, which many supporters of the Save Carss Park Pool wrote submissions on, came before the Community and Culture Committee Meeting on 12 Aug with these recommendations. See the Minutes of this Committee Meeting.

Build Carss Park Pool was represented by Aimee Martel who addressed the Committee with this fantastic speech.

After Aimee’s address, both Clr Katris & Clr Landsberry spoke passionately of their opinion that the 3rd aquatic facility in the Local Government Area should be at the same site in Carss Park. They explained that Council needs to go through the regulatory process of obtaining reports and included an amendment to the recommendations from Council Officers that the reports are obtained as a matter of urgency.

See Aimee’s excellent speech on Council’s Webcast (go to 00.07.14. Continue to 0.16.31 to hear Clr Katris and Clr Landsberry’s comments). The minutes of the Community and Culture meeting went before the full Council meeting on Mon Aug 26 for adoption.

See The Leader article following the release of the Open Space Strategy that identified Jubilee Stadium as a potential location for a third aquatic centre. See also the Letters to the Editor following the publication of this article.

local strategic planning statement

Georges River Council has a top level Strategic Planning Document (LSPS) that wants to identify Jubilee Stadium precinct as a ‘Regional Sporting Hub’.

To help rebuild Carss Park Pool where it is, we wrote many submissions calling for this document to identify Carss Park as the Regional Sporting Hub, not Jubilee Stadium. See sample submission.

Secondly, in point A29 of the key actions outlined on Page 40 of the LSPS it states:-

Investigate Council and partner opportunities for additional sports grounds, playing fields and aquatic facilities.

Many of us also wrote secondary submissions objecting to Council seeking to outsource the provision to aquatic facilities to private entities via Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). See sample submission.

Submissions to the LSPS have now closed, and we await the findings from Council expected at the end of 2019.

background

Kogarah War Memorial Olympic Pool was opened in 1965 in historic Carss Bush Park and is a memorial pool to acknowledge and remember those brave people who died for their country. For over 50 years it has been a community focal point as well as a training ground for world champions.

At the 23 April 2018 Council Meeting, Councillor Sam Elmir raised Notice of Motion NM019-18 (see page 396) for Council to prepare a site suitability and feasibility study for a new regional aquatic centre at Carss Park. This NoM was unanimously supported by all Councillors. 15 months since this Motion, this report has not been prepared by Council. Watch the webcast of this meeting here (go to 1hr21min) to see the Notice of Motion and all Councillors comments on the issue.

In what seemed to be disregard for NM019-18, at the 12th June 2018 Finance and Governance Committee Meeting, Council presented a report (see page 26) which recommended the pool’s demolition at the end of the 2018/19 summer season. The report presented five options for the future use of this beautiful site located on the waterfront at Kogarah Bay, with the preferred option an interim solution including the construction of a 140 space car park.

For more information and to be kept updated on this issue you can sign the petition.

Many members of the Kogarah Bay Progress Association Inc attended a rally in Jan to save the pool.