The Glenorchy Collective Trust wants to develop the facility on a site now occupied by a small building used by a creche and playgroup.
Trust secretary Jess Burke says the Lakeside Community Centre project’s been in the making since 2019, when parents involved with the playgroup started fundraising for a feasibility study for a full-time ECE centre.
The study concluded a multi-use facility, supported by the wider community, would have a better chance of attracting funding.
An upgrade of the 40-year-old pool was seen as potential partner project.
A community vote came out strongly in support of combining the two projects, while a survey on the pool’s future backed the idea of a major upgrade to secure its long-term future.
An architectural firm has completed a concept design for the facility, which will consist of two structures.
One is the ECE centre, which would cater for up to 40 children and have a dedicated space for the creche and playgroup.
The other will house the pool, which will be expanded to 25 metres and have a splash pool and small gym added.
Burke says the project’s estimated $10million cost is a "big sum", but it’ll be a community asset that’ll "endure for decades".
"We want to do it once, do it right, and invest now for the long term."
The trust is about to approach major donors while continuing with its grassroots fundraising, which has already brought in nearly $100,000. If fundraising, the detailed designs and consenting all line up, the trust hopes to break ground on the first stage sometime next year, she says.
