Published on Wednesday, 13 August 2025 at 1:03:47 PM
The Shire of Denmark Council voted not to proceed with plans to proceed with the development of a local aquatic facility or undertake community consultation on the proposal at this time, at a Special Meeting held on Tuesday, 12 August.
The decision follows extensive financial modelling and strategic analysis presented to Council, highlighting significant risks associated with the project, which outweighed the potential benefits a local aquatic facility could provide.
Shire President Kingsley Gibson said the decision was not taken lightly.
“Council is well aware our community has long had an aspiration for a pool in our Shire, but the modelling shows that proceeding now would place a significant burden on ratepayers and restrict our ability to invest in other essential services.”
The report presented to Council stated the aquatic facility proposal had a projected capital cost of approximately $16.8 million in 2030, and while the Shire’s goal would be to secure external funding to meet the majority of these costs, Federal government funding is not guaranteed and no current State Government funding programs are available.
Additionally, such a facility would have an estimated annual operational deficit of over $780,000, which would need to be covered by an ongoing rate increase of at least 10% from 2030, in addition to regular yearly rate rises.
The necessary rate increases to cover these shortfalls would not only make Denmark’s average rates among the highest in the region and raise affordability issues for residents, but also limit the Shire’s ability to deliver other priority infrastructure projects and service improvements.
The Council also considered going to a poll to gauge our community’s sentiment on the proposal, but given the financial implications outlined, felt this was not the appropriate time to do so.
Cr Gibson expressed gratitude for the work of Shire officers and the work undertaken by the Denmark Aquatic Centre Community Inc. (DACCI) over many years.
“Council recognises the strong community interest in an aquatic facility, and the Shire and DACCI have worked hard to agree on the financial costings of this proposal, but the decision to move forward ultimately falls to Council,” Cr Gibson said.
“Due to the costs and associated risks, Council took the view that the proposal is not a viable option for our community at this time.”
The aquatic facility proposal will be included in our planning from 2035 in preparation for Denmark’s population reaching 10,000, a threshold likely to be passed by 2045, as projected in the Shire’s Long-Term Financial Plan.
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