Who will pay to save Port Fairy’s pool? Moyne council tells pool committee it must fork out $2m for repairs

Community frustration over the sudden closure of Port Fairy’s only all-abilities indoor pool spilled into the council chamber this week, with Moyne Shire councillors voting to formally receive a petition calling for urgent action - and agreeing to meet with residents before Christmas to “find a solution”.

What happened: The Belfast Aquatics pool and fitness centre closed on November 21 after mould was discovered inside the building. The discovery triggered weeks of public backlash and a petition campaign that has attracted almost 2,000 signatures.

Community petition: At Tuesday night’s council meeting, councillors voted to receive the petition, titled Save Our Pool – Call on Council to Work With Our Community to Secure the $2 Million Needed. 

• While this action does not indicate council support for the request, it allows the issue to be formally considered at a future meeting.

All impacted: The petition outlines wide-ranging impacts from the closure, including on rehabilitation patients, older residents, children learning to swim and people with disabilities who rely on warm-water programs. 

• It also highlights the loss of 33 local jobs following the shutdown and calls on council to advocate for state and federal funding to reopen the centre.

The background: Council reports confirmed the pool, built in 2007 and operated by Belfast Aquatics under a lease, was closed after expert engineering, environmental health and plant assessments identified mould, structural deterioration and ageing equipment. 

• Council officers estimate remediation and compliance works would exceed $2 million and need to be completed within the next 12 months.

• The lease expired on November 30, with council confirming responsibility for maintenance and renewal rests with Belfast Aquatics. The company has advised it does not have the financial capacity to fund the required works or ongoing operating costs.

Meeting before Christmas: Speaking on behalf of residents pushing for the pool to reopen, local Louise Abicare asked whether councillors were prepared to engage directly with the community, asking if they were “ready to sit down and work collaboratively with the community to find a solution”.

• Moyne Shire chief executive officer Mark Eversteyn told the meeting council officers would meet with community members before Christmas, following the tabling of the petition and strong public concern.

What else? Councillors unanimously voted to note a separate officer report providing a public update on the closure, following confidential deliberations at the November council meeting.

Acting director of assets and community, Symonne Robinson, told councillors the pool committee was required to return the facility to council in “a well-maintained and repaired manner”.

Further questions: Councillor Jim Doukas questioned what would happen if the Belfast Aquatics committee could not meet its obligations. 

• “If we stick to our guns it’ll never get repaired, so does it just sit there?” he asked. “Or do we actually take possession of it and do what needs to be done, as in, demolish?”

CEO Eversteyn responded, saying the council needed further discussions before determining next steps. 

• “Once we understand that, then we can determine the next steps and what that means for council,” he said.

A “sad” loss: Councillor Karen Foster said she felt “sad” about the loss of the facility and the impact on staff, saying she felt for the more than 30 workers who had lost their jobs and the loss of “two decades of memories”.

• Council has contributed more than $3 million to the facility since opening, including $290,000 in the 2024-25 financial year. 

What now? No final decision has been made about the site’s long-term future, with further consideration expected as part of the Moyne Aquatic Facilities Strategy, due before council by June 2026.