Georges River Council will be called on to authorise the immediate demolition of the Kogarah War Memorial Pool at Carrs Park over concerns for public safety.
In a Notice of Motion to be debated at next Monday night's council meeting, Councillor Warren Tegg will move that the council's general manager, Gail Connolly be authorised to undertake the immediate demolition of the Kogarah War Memorial Pool complex upon receipt of the appropriate development consent and approvals to eliminate the current risks to the community, the environment and to the council.
Numerous previous reports provided to the council that the pool and associated facilities are no longer fit for purpose such that they pose an unacceptable risk to the environment, the public's safety and to the council as a landowner, Cr Tegg states in his Notice of Motion.
Legal advice provided by Queen's Counsel and the council's insurer to Councillors on 8 December, 2020 about the high risk to community safety and liability arising have also prompted his Notice of Motion.
Since mid-2019, the council has been provided with advice from the EPA, solicitors, Queen's Counsel and its insurer about the council's and Councillor's liability arising from a failure to act to demolish the Kogarah War Memorial Pool and its associated facilities in circumstances where Council is aware that the Pool site poses a high risk to the community and the environment, according to the council's supporting comments.
"Legal advice expenditure (including Queen's Counsel) incurred to date is $97,942. Council allocated $3 million in the 2020/21 budget for demolition and decontamination of the site," the report said.
Last October, a Notice of Motion, lodged by Councillor Vince Badalati called for a feasibility study to be initiated into the Carss Park Swimming Pool site to determine if it was feasible to rebuild a swimming pool as existed previously to the closure of the pool.
It also called for the demolition of the pool to be postponed until the council has considered the feasibility studies of both the Todd Park and Carss Park sites.
But Councillors Warren Tegg, Sandy Grekas and Lou Konjarski lodged the rescission motion.
Speaking at the time, Cr Tegg said, "My view is that we should not be looking at sites at Todd Park or the current site at Carss Park, spending more ratepayers money to investigate these sites while somebody else is willing to put $3 million into a site feasibility study at Jubilee (Stadium) and with the promise of paying for the whole thing once that study is done."
"Every day the pool remains in situ and this land remains untreated is a moral hazard. We are playing roulette with the safety of our residents and our environment," he said.
But the rescission motion was lost seven votes to eight meaning the demolition of the pool was postponed while the feasibility study was undertaken.
Voting in support of the rescission motion were Councillors Kevin Greene, Stephen Aguis, Sam Elmir, Sandy Grekas, Lou Konjarski, Nancy Liu and Warren Tegg.
Voting against were Councillors Vince Badalati, Con Hindi, Rita Kastanias, Nick Katris, Kathryn Landsberry, Leesha Payor, Colleen Symington and Christina Wu.
