Demolition work at the Quirindi Aquatic Centre is expected to get under way from January to March this year, after local earthmoving company Mac Demo was awarded the contract.
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The Liverpool Plains Shire Council (LPSC) appointed Mac Demo to bulldoze the site before construction on the $6.6 million project, set to include a six-lane 50-metre Olympic-sized pool with ramp, splash pad, dry play area, wading pool, and barbecue facilities, begins.
LPSC mayor Doug Hawkins said the company udnertaking the work was "very professional" and he does not think there will be much disruption to neighbours along the Henry Street site.
"We don't know how long it'll take to construct. We're hoping as soon as possible. But in the meantime, we're asking people to utilise the facility at Werris Creek," Cr Hawkins said.
"The decision to close the [Quirindi] pool over the summer holiday period was not made lightly. But the sooner we begin construction the sooner we can deliver the new aquatic centre."
The Werris Creek Memorial Pool's summer season runs through to Sunday, April 13, and is open every day from 10am to 7pm, and for two hours on weekdays from 6am to 8am.
Entry to the Werris Creek pool will be free on Australia Day, January 26, and the council has organised a free bus that will travel to the site in mid-January for those living in the Liverpool Plains' smaller towns.
Cr Hawkins said LPSC was keen to get this project "happening for the community".
"It is important people understand this is a major construction project, not a repair of existing infrastructure, and it will take time," he said.
The nearly 100-year-old pool at the Quirindi Aquatic Centre was in serious need of an upgrade, partly due to an ageing filtration system and crumbling infrastructure.
Funding for the $6,622,547 centre's upgrade was announced in 2022 and is from the NSW Government's Resources for Regions program.
