This agreement is dependent on successful negotiations, with this stage coming to fruition as a result of the City’s ongoing efforts to enable the continuation of community access to the centre. Recently, after going through an Expressions of Interest process the City put a tender out for the Leeming Recreation Centre, as per the Local Government Act.

Mayor Russell Aubrey said the submission which had been received from LRIS was a proposal to lease the centre for commercial recreation purposes. “Recreational activities proposed include the introduction of: indoor cricket competitions; professional cricket coaching; holiday camps; specialist programs; children’s use of the gymnasium; and a sports store. This is in addition to the continued offering of: indoor netball and soccer; a gymnasium; and circuit and group training. Squash courts will also be refurbished with the possibility of reinstating courts previously converted to program spaces. The pool has now been decommissioned, however, it is anticipated that this area will get greater public utilisation and therefore provide greater community benefit under the new proposal,” he said.

Mayor Aubrey said, pending successful negotiations, the City believed this could be a positive outcome for the whole community, with the centre retained and additional user groups, such as indoor cricket enthusiasts, advantaged by this proposal. “I have always stood for the centre to be retained. This proposal involves not only retaining numerous products and services but also broadening the mix of what residents can do in the City. It also means the City will make a potential $1m annual saving, compared with current expenditure on running the facility,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer Dr Shayne Silcox said the City had always known its responsibility to deliver a positive outcome for the community and would continue to focus on this goal. “We are sympathetic to the concerns some people have had about the situation but we have a role to play in meeting the needs of all residents and ratepayers in the City who have concerns about rising rates and interests in other facilities,” he said.

“This situation demonstrates it is not a simple task – particularly in the current economic climate – to manage all of the City’s assets and deliver facilities that are viable for the long-term. All of the City’s facilities are under constant review. In relation to this centre, we were faced with decreasing utilisation rates, the need for expensive maintenance and increasing competition from centres around the region. All of these factors contributed to the City’s decision six months ago to discuss external management of the centre. I am proud of my staff and Council, who have stood up and made appropriate decisions during this challenging period,” he said.

The Council also resolved at its special meeting that the City would write to local Members of Parliament to formally request they honour previous commitments for funding the capital works to be completed on the centre.