The new Broadmeadows leisure centre has officially opened, with a splash.
After a plaque was unveiled last Wednesday, Hume mayor Adem Atmaca and councillor Geoff Porter dived into the new 50-metre indoor pool with as much enthusiasm as the children splashing around in lane one.
The centre’s opening comes as a relief to councillors. Construction was suspended when builder Walton Constructions went into liquidation, delaying works for about six months.
Cr Atmaca said construction at the Tanderrum Way site took about a year-and-a-half and “was not without a few speed humps along the way”.
“This facility will get kids away from the Xbox and into the pool and give young people in Hume the opportunity to be champion swimmers.”
About 40 council staff, dignitaries and media gathered to witness the unveiling of the plaque by Cr Atmaca and Broadmeadows state MP Frank McGuire.
Mr McGuire reminisced about scorching summer days spent at the Broady baths, as the old outdoor pool was then known.
“The old pool was the place everyone escaped to,” Mr McGuire said.
“Before closing time, everyone would do bombs off the edge before being kicked out by caretaker Jack Gulliver.”
But the local MP declined to take up Cr Atmaca’s offer of a freestyle race, promising to make a splash at a later date.
The old and now derelict Broady baths in Goulburn Street had became financially unviable and closed in 2007.
The outdoor pool was open only from January to March. It closed at the end of February 2007 during the drought when it was found to be leaking 30,000 litres of water a day and was unable to meet stage 3 water-saving targets.
Cr Porter worked at the outdoor pool part-time for about 20 years and was thrilled that Broadmeadows had its own pool again.
“It left a big hole in the community when the pool closed,” he said.
“We had to cut the ties and build something bigger, better and newer.”
The $13.23 million indoor centre features a 50-metre pool with eight swimming lanes, new change rooms, seating for up to 400 people, a childcare centre, an outdoor lawn and a new gym.
It opened earlier this month.
