By JESSE GRAHAM
THE PUSH to save Healesville’s indoor pool has taken a grave turn, with Healesville High School refusing to continue meeting debts and asking the council to take up the reins.
Healesville High School Principal George Perini told the Mail on 4 March that the school’s council had resolved to no longer fund the Jack Hort Memorial Pool’s deficit with educational money.
The decision came one month after the pool’s manager, Ross Ilsley said the pool was unable to keep functioning due to a $50,000 deficit and faced closure before 2015.
Mr Perini said the school council made two motions in regards to the pool on Monday 24 February – one endorsing the actions of the school to previously eliminate the deficit, the other to refuse further school funds going to the pool.
“What it means is that we will do whatever it takes to bring the budget into balance,” he said.
“Because we cannot, in all conscience, take away money from education and programs to support and run a community facility.”
Mr Perini said that the school had met with Yarra Ranges Council representatives on Monday 3 March to discuss the issue, though no solution has yet been reached.
Mr Perini said it was the school’s position that the council would need to fund the stricken pool in the short term, while plans are organised for a new aquatics facility in town.
“If the council decide they want a community pool in Healesville, they’ve got to fund it,” Mr Perini said.
Yarra Ranges Mayor Fiona McAllister, who three weeks ago ruled a closure of the pool “off the cards”, said the council would look at a way to resolve the funding issue as quickly as possible.
“Representatives of the council and the high school have met on two occasions over the past month and are continuing to work through options for addressing the ongoing funding of the pool’s operations,” Cr McAllister said.
“Any discussions regarding the expenditure of public money must go through a formal council process.
“Council officers will discuss with the council options associated with the financial operations of the pool to allow further discussion to then occur with the Healesville High School.”
Cr McAllister said the council was undertaking “significant” amounts of work with a feasibility study for an aquatics centre in the Yarra Valley, along with a review to the Yarra Ranges Aquatic Strategy.
The pool faces further cuts to opening hours as of 22 April, which will result in the pool opening from 8.30am-12.30pm, then 3.30-7.30pm Monday-Thursday, unless school groups are present, 8.30am-12.30pm on Fridays and 9am-1pm on Saturdays during school terms only.
