Frankston Mayor says Pines Forest Aquatic Centre improvements needed to ‘ensure safety’

An upgrade of the Pines Forest Aquatic Centre would mean more access to swimming lessons and reduce the risk of children drowning, according to Mayor of Frankston Nathan Conroy.

Referring last week to Victoria's current rate of drownings, and suggesting that making swimming lessons more accessible would help to make the water a safer place for children, Mayor Conroy stated “swimming lessons have multiple benefits and provide foundation skills for children to get into other activities such as surfing, fishing and boating which is particularly important given Frankston’s location right on Port Phillip Bay.

“Young children are particularly at risk and that’s why we need to ensure residents have easy access to swimming lessons, especially around Frankston North.”

Mayor Conroy said that a recent survey conducted by the council found that “52% of respondents felt the current opening dates (at Pines Pool) from November to March are too short and 27% think opening hours for the centre should be longer. To achieve this, we need to look at updating pool infrastructure including heating as well as modern amenities such as shelters and changing rooms.

“Many people have a strong sense of nostalgia for their local municipal pool, and Pines is one of those special places. People learnt to swim here, they bring their children here, they come down for a free Family Fun Friday or for early morning lap swim and they use it as a place to connect with their mates and family. To continue to cater to this growing demand and ensure our children are safe around water, we need the support of the federal and state governments to help us redevelop the site for a bigger, better Pines Pool - one with more capacity and better facilities, fit for the community.”

Having allocated $10.3 million in ratepayer funding to the $31 million redevelopment of Pines Forest Aquatic Centre at Monterey Reserve, Frankston City Council is currently seeking funding from the Federal and Victorian Governments.

As reported by the Frankston Times, the master plan for the pool redevelopment includes the construction of an eight lane 50 metre lap pool, a dedicated learn to swim pool, outdoor gym equipment, an upgraded playground, a toddler pool, and a play area with waterslides.

Image: Pines Forest Aquatic Centre. Credit: Frankston City Council.