Mill Park Leisure Centre exercisers campaign to keep gym open during redevelopment

A group of gym users are campaigning to keep the fitness club within the Mill Park Leisure Centre open during its $25 million redevelopment amid fears that the City of Whittlesea plans to close the centre for two years.

Councillors met on 9th January  to hold confidential discussions about the $25 million redevelopment and to decide whether to completely close the centre for the duration of the works.

With the Council yet to advise of its decision, members at the Mill Park Leisure Centre have started a petition calling for the facility to remain open and plan to attend the next Council meeting on 6th February  to raise their concerns about the closure.

Speaking to local newspaper the Star Weekly, Mill Park Leisure Centre member Josie Vinar said she did not understand why the council was being so secretive.

Vinar joined the Centre three years ago and said it had been a lifeline for her during a recent cancer battle.

She explained “if I didn’t have the gym, I wouldn’t have survived.

“I know it sounds silly, but it is like a big family. If you don’t turn up to the gym, people reach out to you. It will be a loss to the community.”

The long-awaited redevelopment will upgrade the ageing centre into a state-of-the-art aquatic and fitness hub.

It will feature fully-accessible pools, water play features, an enlarged gym and fitness program area, outdoor fitness, family play and barbecue areas.

Mill Park Leisure Centre is currently managed by YMCA Victoria.

Image: An artist's impression of the redevelopment of the Mill Park Leisure Centre.

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