Consultancy services secured for Griffith pool redevelopment

Consultancy services including building certification, civil engineering, aquatic engineering, landscaping, and geotechnical have been secured for the Griffith pool redevelopment in NSW.

Now that final Tender specifications have been prepared, the Tender for the Design and Construction of the 50metre pool, amenities, landscaping and plant room will be advertised.

A FINA standard 10 lane 50 metre Olympic swimming pool, universal access ramps, dedicated spectator seating, landscaping, barbecue area and new change rooms and toilets are some of the features set to be completed as part of Stage One of the new pool project.

The opportunity to build the new 50 metre pool arose through a $10million grant from the NSW State Government’s Regional Sports Infrastructure Fund.

Council also secured external grant funding of $4.5million from the Federal Government’s Building Better Regions Fund. Council supported with a further $10.3million for a total initial budget of $24.8 million for the overall Griffith Regional Sports Precinct project.

Residents can expect to see progress made at the site in the coming weeks as Griffith City Council prepares for the development, with demolition of the old skate park set to kick things off.

The Concept Plan for the Griffith Regional Aquatic Leisure Centre (GRALC) redevelopment provides details of the Stage One works, required to be delivered by the end of 2021 as part of the funding agreement.

Griffith City Council, Director Business Cultural and Financial Services, Max Turner, said it was good to see progress being made with the appointment of Altus Group as the Project Managers.

Turner added “we are moving on with demolition of the old skate park. There has been some interest from the public for Council to keep photographic records of the graffiti artwork before it is demolished, which we are in the process of doing.

 “Trees have already been removed at the site to facilitate the construction of the new facility and we anticipate that the design of the pool will be completed by June or July 2020, with construction works to commence shortly thereafter.

The GRALC redevelopment forms part of the Griffith Regional Sports Precinct project, with $7 million initially dedicated to the swimming complex.

The Westend Oval component of the Sports Precinct project will see the construction of a first-class, multi-purpose regional sports complex, catering for a variety of sports.

It will include seven indoor basketball courts with seating for up to 1,000 people, seven all- weather netball courts, a new synthetic athletics track with new lighting, a new synthetic turf hockey pitch and a new grandstand.

Mayor John Dal Broi said it was full steam ahead for this important sporting infrastructure.

“Our vision is becoming a reality. These developments will allow Griffith to become a major sporting City, helping us develop a wide variety of sport programs and competitions that will benefit the entire region.”

The Griffith Sporting Precinct Master Plan can also be viewed at www.griffith.nsw.gov.au

Image of Aqua Aerobics at GRALC. Courtesy of GRALC