Shire of Wagin put Memorial Swimming Pool management out to tender in bid to avoid summer of discontent

The Shire of Wagin is hoping to avoid another summer of discontent by issuing a tender for the long-term management of the town’s Memorial Swimming Pool.

Councillors voted 5-1 at the open meeting on April 22 to ask for submissions for a three-year contract, starting with the 2025-26 season.

The pool had to be shut on January 2, at the height of summer, because anti-social behaviour by a group which threatened staff caused the manager and one other member of staff to resign.

The pool had been managed internally by a council employee, but the shire is hoping an external contractor will take up the reins after Contract Aquatics successfully managed the pool after it reopened on January 24.

Shire president Cr Phillip Blight said a range of skills were needed to manage the pool and an external contractor was more able to cover staff downtime.

“The manager needs to have chemical-handling skills and people-management skills, and those sorts of people don’t just walk off the street,” he said.

“We don’t want to get left behind so if we get no responses to the tender we will have time to implement a Plan B.”

The pool is closed now for the winter and should reopen during the last week of October.

Cr Blight said the behaviour of the group which caused the problems in January was “reprehensible”.

He said health and safety rules made it hard for the council to employ a manager as when there are more than 100 people in the pool an additional lifeguard is required.

Contractors were more able to handle the need for extra staff, he said.

Council documents noted that the cost of hiring internally or appointing an external contractor would be similar.

However, both options would likely involve providing accommodation.

The Shire of Wickepin had similar problems as following a verbal altercation between the pool manager and a resident the pool closed a month early.