Back in 2019 our community worked to secure a $2.2 million NSW State Government grant for the Dawn Fraser Baths to fund urgent improvements to Balmain’s iconic local pool.
Thank you to the thousands of people who signed our petition. Your support helped us get the Inner West Council the money it needed to fix our pool.
Unfortunately it is becoming clear that the renovation of Dawn Fraser Baths has been mismanaged and there is no end in sight. The opening date has been repeatedly pushed back and now summer has ended and the pool remains closed.
Yesterday the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the Mayor has referred his own council to the NSW Auditor-General for investigation. Read the full story here.
This is disappointing news for all the residents who worked so hard to secure funding and have missed this wonderful community facility. Following this decision and citing difficulties with the Mayor, the General Manager of the Council has tendered his resignation.
It is disappointing that the Mayor is choosing to blame his staff rather than taking responsibility for fixing this problem. I am confident that with effective leadership and working together with the staff these issues can be resolved and the project can be delivered.
I’ve written to the Council today to offer my support and assistance so we can get these renovations done. If the Council needs more resources or technical support from the NSW Government I’m committed to helping make that happen.
I’ll also be following up on the project outside the old Telstra building on the corner of Montague and Darling Streets which is also seeing significant delays.
