The Collie Mineworkers Memorial Swimming Pool is set for another upgrade with the Shire of Collie receiving a state government grant.
A $150,000 grant has been awarded to the shire in order to plan the project, which is expected to include the construction of a new 25m indoor pool.
The new pool enclosure will complement the previous $3.6 million upgrade, which was completed in 2015.
The previous upgrade included the complete refurbishment of the 50m pool, new plant buildings and the construction of a leisure pool.
The shire received $1 million in funding from the state government for the previous upgrade through the Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund.
Mr Murray said the grant would allow the pool to be used more often during the year.
“This is a great opportunity to add to the existing improvements at the Collie swimming pool,” Mr Murray said.
“Building an indoor pool will allow the swimming season to extend into the cooler months.
“It’s great to see government Sport and Recreation funding being invested here in Collie to build assets for the local community.”
The shire council also unanimously passed a motion to conduct an independent feasibility study of heating options for the 50m pool at the council meeting on Tuesday, January 23.
During the meeting, the shire’s Director Corporate Services Allison Fergie said the current heating pumps used in the pool were nearing the end of their useful life and were expensive to maintain.
The study is expected to consider a range of heating solutions such as solar, electric or geothermal options among others.
During the refurbishment of the pool facilities in 2015, a solar powered system was installed for the leisure pool, however the main pool’s heating system was left unchanged.
Ms Fergie said a change to the pool’s heating system could potentially extend the season a little bit longer into colder months.
