By JESSE GRAHAM
THE CAMPAIGN to re-open the Olinda Pool has entered its next stage, with flyers and bumper stickers made up and the council beginning community consultation.
John Faull and the Save the Olinda Pool group have been lobbying the Yarra Ranges Council to expedite the reopening of the pool, which was closed in November last year due to extensive damage.
Following the council’s decision on 8 July to begin community consultation on the pool’s future, the group decided to create flyers and bumper stickers to raise awareness of the campaign.
On Saturday 12 July, Olinda residents, James Everard, 14, and Sofia Mikulcic, 10, braved cold weather to hit the streets to sell the bumper stickers and talk about the campaign to save the pool.
In the space of four hours, the children had sold 250 bumper stickers.
Mr Faull congratulated James and Sofia, and said that children had been heavily involved with the campaign to get the pool repaired and re-opened.
“The kids are totally involved with it – they’re serious about wanting their pool,” he said.
Mr Faull said the bumper stickers and flyers were important, because some people in the community were still unaware that the pool had been closed, or had stopped talking about it.
“We wanted people to know that the pool is in trouble,” he said.
“It’s sad to think that the public are becoming a bit lethargic about it.”
He said that he hoped the stickers and flyers would help to motivate people to get involved and to have their say on the future of the pool, as the council meets with the community to discuss options.
The Save the Olinda Pool group met with council representatives last week as part of the consultation, and Mr Faull said the group’s position was that they wanted the pool re-opened by summer.
As for amenities, which an engineer’s structural report listed as needing upgrading, Mr Faull said he believed they should be upgraded once the pool’s shell was repaired and the facility was re-opened.
Councillor Jason Callanan said the discussions with the group were very positive, and that the council was looking forward to meeting with Olinda Community House representatives this week for more consultation on the pool.
The council will be meeting with stakeholders in the community in July and August, before opening a broader consultation via its website in August and September.
For more information, visit www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au.
