Council Projects
Denise Spencer Aquatic Centre Redevelopment
Following years of planning and consultation by successive Councils, the 2024/25 Council budget committed to the funding to kick start this generational project that will benefit our entire region.
Council has since been working with the State and Federal Governments, and industry partners, to secure the additional necessary funding for the project.
This was given a significant boost in January 2025 following a $9.5 million grant from the Federal Government under its Growing Regions Program.
Council is actively undertaking planning and preparation works to ensure that the project can start as soon as funding is in place.
Our aim is to deliver this important project as quickly as possible with minimum disruption to the community.
We will keep the community informed here throughout the process. If you have any questions about the project, you can forward them to council@maranoa/qld.gov.au
Frequently Asked Questions
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There is a lot of preparatory work required to get the site ready for construction. Some early works, including the removal of the house on Feather Street, which do not impact the current pool operations, are being undertaken now. This ensures that once a contractor is appointed, they can begin major construction without delay.
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A number of timing options were considered, including delaying the closure until the end of the school holidays. Council had to consider when to close, balancing the needs of pool users against the construction time estimates that give us the best chance to have the new pool opened by the target date.
The selected closure date was chosen to minimise the risk of the project extending into a second summer season.
By closing the pool at the end of the term, we allow time for the lessee to close and vacate the facility, and ensure that construction progresses as soon as possible, reducing the overall impact on the community and ensuring the upgraded facility is available sooner.
The date also coincides with the seasonal closure date for other pools across the region, including Wallumbilla, Injune and Surat.
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Council is planning to ensure that any closure of the pool is as brief as possible. Once the tender is awarded we will provide details of the construction timeline.
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Council knew that the Feather Street house would have to be removed as part of the redevelopment and so proactively undertook this work to prevent later delays to construction. A decision is still to be made about how that house will be repurposed or disposed of.
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Council conducted extensive community consultation about the pool redevelopment and received overwhelming feedback that the community would like to pool to stay where it is, even if that involved a period of closure during the redevelopment.
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Whilst the new facility was designed to enable this as an option, as the project has progressed it has become clear that this option is not viable. Constructing the new facility in two stages reduces construction efficiencies and increases construction timeframes, leading to increased construction costs. It also introduces the potential for significant risk to the public during construction, and the potential for the existing pool to have to close with limited notice if any risks are realised.
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Denise Spencer was born in Roma in 1929. She became a local sensation when she competed in the 100m and 400m freestyle events at the 1948 London Summer Olympics.
She was a medallist at the 1950 Empire Games in New Zealand, and was the Australian female title holder for the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle events.
Her achievements so soon after WWII have been credited for setting the stage for women like Dawn Fraser to dominate world swimming.
The local pool was named in her honour, as will be the new Aquatic Centre. Spencer Street, the location of the swimming baths where she learned to swim, also bears her name.
