27 March 2009

Deakin Pool goes kaput early

| johnboy
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Apparently Deakin Pool was abruptly closed yesterday much earlier than had been expected with Deakin Swimming Limited going into administration.

Steve Doszpot is up in arms that Andrew Barr has not done more to prevent this happening.

    Mr Barr effectiveness on this issue has been non-existent. On the morning DSL appointed Administrators RSM Bird Cameron and the pool ceased operation, Mr Barr writes a letter to the owner of the pool requesting DSL not be charged for rent.

    “Mr Barr; you can’t be charged rent if you not open [Sic].

    “Mr Barr had four years to make sure the pool would continue to be viable, and only on the day it doesn’t open does he takes any action [Sic].

Apparently the pool is vital to the Deakin-Weston Creek community.

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Trust me you will hear from me again, listen out or even keep your eyes peeled to the papers. Or if you wish to ask me any questions ill answer them for you…

Dont hear from me because i have a 10 month old i had to attend to, in response to your comment, if you wish to do a development and it costs around 5 million, you need to show the bank that you can sustain this loan, by doing this you must have tenants comitted to sign up a lease and you must show these lease documents to the bank..

colourful sydney racing identity4:12 pm 31 Mar 09

And with that, we never hear from Loretta again.

Loretta said :

All i know is that it costs money to do these things, for example the nice office building next door, tenants would be paying the right amount of rent so that the bank loan could be covered for the construction of the building

When a building is under construction there are no tenants to pay rent. I thought the builder needs assets of some sort in order to borrow against to get the construction loan in the first place.

colourful sydney racing identity11:16 am 31 Mar 09

Loretta said :

My involvement is getting the truth, i always see that the media make developers or even successful people look bad when its not always the case..Some or even most landlords are generous honest people who have worked very hard..

smells like self interest to me…

The owner did run it, and when Deakin Swimming got kicked out of Health Spa he opened his doors and handed them a business worth 350,000 of learn to swim he did not take a cent for this.. Know one knows if the owner will decide to run it again. I guess we just wait and see..

My involvement is getting the truth, i always see that the media make developers or even successful people look bad when its not always the case..Some or even most landlords are generous honest people who have worked very hard..

I feel that the business failed due to poor management

While I know nothing about the quality of the management, the news story said that it was a not for profit organisation. If they are going broke, then it probably isn’t profitable. And if it is profitable, then why doesn’t the owner run it as a business himself?

…how fair is it that a certain pool in canberra were given 10million dollars to build so that they can make an individual profit…

I personally think this kinda thing is pretty bad, like the government dropping lots of cash on events like Summernats, even though the organiser makes a profit. However I think in the case you are referring to, the government was in a position where they had promised the residents of a certain area that there would be a pool, and so they had to make it happen. Doesn’t mean that it should happen again.

True, i point out your last statement about an individuals profit, how fair is it that a certain pool in canberra were given 10million dollars to build so that they can make an individual profit, seems like you have to be in the pockets of the pollies in canberra..which is a another issue all together..

All i know is that it costs money to do these things, for example the nice office building next door, tenants would be paying the right amount of rent so that the bank loan could be covered for the construction of the building, if you have a tenant paying small rent the banks will not give out the money to do a brand new building if you dont have the right rent.

I feel that the business failed due to poor management, i do know that half of there running costs were being subsidsed by the owner, i do know that the owner put in new air conditioning system, new ceiling and was paying there water rates and i also know that a new boiler was on order at a large cost to the owner and i do know that Deakin Swimming had not paid rent for over 6 months with no pressure from the owner to do so, however Deakin Swimming act the victims.. It will be interesting to see what happens..

colourful sydney racing identity10:18 am 31 Mar 09

What is your involvement in all of this Loretta?

I am not entirely sure what you are trying to say Loretta, although various government people saying different things is only confusing me more.

This CT story suggests that the owner of the current pool site wants to develop a new pool complex. Which is great. But is says he want to do it on ACT government land, which I can only assume would leave him free to develop the current pool block.

That said, I wouldn’t be against that, so long as the ACT government had a suitable contract in place so that it doesn’t get screwed over for an individuals profit.

Sorry for my comments regarding whingers, however im sick of the tall poppy syndrome, if you look at what the owners have done to the old run down sports centre and if you have wandered through for a look you would have to agree that what is there now looks much nicer than an old run down empty building..

Wrong wrong wrong, as you are aware there is an empty block of land on the corner site, the issue is to do with this site not the already developed office.. Which it is my understanding Mr Andrew Barr will be retracting his comments in regards to his wrong accusations.. The community should be backing the owners requests to develop a new pool site which has been happening, if you heard in the media the owner went to the government in 2005 to seek help in developing a new facility, the government has handed over millions to other pool operators??..

Deakin Swimming should not have been taking money from patrons if they knew there business was going under, they should be held responsible..

That’s my impression too. But then remember the Watson/Canberry Fair site – zoned for tourism / community greenspace only, b ut allowed to deteriorate over a decade, til the govt agree it would be better off as units.

Who does actually own the deakin pool, site?

Firstly the owner cannot do units on this site, if you were regular swimmers at the pool you wouldve noticed that there were plans in the reception area of a new pool to be developed on the car park site. Therefore the owner was active in seeking a better facility for you whingers.. I also noticed when swimming at the centre there were regular maintenance people working on the pool, the pool did not close from OHS issues…

This is an interesting post, and sounds like someone a little closer to the issue then the rest of us.
From what I have gathered, there appears to have been some debate between the owner (of the site) and the lessor (person running pool business), concerning what maintenance need to be done in order for the pool to remain open.

I also understand that previous development on the site was part of an agreement that a public pool would be located there. This presumably leaves the owner in a position where they have to include a pool in any redevelopment. Unless of course they can *convince* the ACT government to change the development deal.

Anyone care to comment on/correct my impression of the situation?

Also governement can not insist to sell a privately owned pool, i think the public servants of canberra forget the facility is privately owned and if you have read in the media Deakin swimming should be lucky that the owner opened his doors when they got kicked out of Deakin Health Spa and handed them a profiable business.

Firstly the owner cannot do units on this site, if you were regular swimmers at the pool you wouldve noticed that there were plans in the reception area of a new pool to be developed on the car park site. Therefore the owner was active in seeking a better facility for you whingers.. I also noticed when swimming at the centre there were regular maintenance people working on the pool, the pool did not close from OHS issues…

It sounds like this one has been allowed to fail, in order for the owner to make a motza out of townhouses in prime Deakin real estate. And they will include a few token aged care units, so that anyone who complains looks like a prat.

I think the govt should insist it go up for sale as a pool, and see if someone wants it. If they got plenty of swimmers while the pool was virtually disintegrating around people, then imagine how well they could do if the place was nice.

The government already owns and subsidises enough pools in town – it is a bit rich of the opposition to be asking the Government to come in on its white horse and rescue Deakin just because the owner didn’t reinvest in his asset. It is sad and inconvenient and it is a great loss to the community that uses it but sometimes businesses fail.

pmm said :

quostatus said :

Any suggestions for replacement lunch time activities in Deakin where the workplace doesn’t have a shower.

Visit the mint?

Woo Hoo! Yee hah!

The cat did it1:14 am 28 Mar 09

The owner of the pool (not the lessee) has been curiously uncontactable by the media for the last few days- and very guarded about the future of the site before that, so the odds are shortening that he’s got a redevelopment proposal up his sleeve. Which is probably not surprising since the costs of running a pool must be significant, and even 1500 swimmers a week may not provide sufficient revenue to cover the cost of heating, staffing and maintenance.

quostatus said :

Any suggestions for replacement lunch time activities in Deakin where the workplace doesn’t have a shower.

Visit the mint?

colourful sydney racing identity said :

That would have to be the worst press release I have ever seen. Perhaps we can run a competition to see who can spot the most errors in spelling and/or grammar? Your time begins…now.

Perhaps Tosspot’s been spending too much time with the soccer crowd and not enough time on remedial English. Memo Steve – the Reading Writing Hotline is 1300 655 506.

la mente torbida1:06 pm 27 Mar 09

Closing early? The pool has been going downhill for years. Maybe if they had done some routine maintenance then they wouldn’t have had the business destroying costs to refurbish now.

Stopped going long ago, unfortunately Phillip and Manuka close this week.

justbands said :

> Isn’t there a Fitness First gym in Deakin? Maybe you could try that instead

There’s no pool there.

There mightn’t be a pool but there are plenty of other activities for exercising during the lunchbrak. PLUS they have showers for after.

PreciousLilywhite12:52 pm 27 Mar 09

The pool is gone from Deakin Health Spa and it is Oasis that has now closed.

This closure actually isn’t very cool. Heaps of people who can’t go to the gym and need to exercise in an aquatic space are going to be left high and dry by the current pool situation. With Erindale closing for refurb and Phillip being outdoors, it’s acutally a great deal of people in the Inner south, Woden, Weston Creek and Central Tuggies areas that are going to be without facilities for some time.
It seems the current governments thinking is to sell off land to property developers who build apartments with pools underneath for the lucky few above to (pay to) use and thus privatise the issue.

Wasn’t there Deakin Health Spa and Oasis in Deakin?

> Isn’t there a Fitness First gym in Deakin? Maybe you could try that instead

There’s no pool there.

colourful sydney racing identity11:55 am 27 Mar 09

That would have to be the worst press release I have ever seen. Perhaps we can run a competition to see who can spot the most errors in spelling and/or grammar? Your time begins…now.

Isn’t there a Fitness First gym in Deakin? Maybe you could try that instead.

That’s a doozy of a press release. Is Steve getting random passing homeless people to write them for him?

Damn – there goes my lunch time activity. At least I might get rid of the nasty cough I have had since I started swimming at Deakin. Any suggestions for replacement lunch time activities in Deakin where the workplace doesn’t have a shower.

Actually, now I think about it, it may have been the Cannons they sponsored – they really needed the money!

Yep, when swimming you always felt like the roof may fall down on you at any time but I still went there.

Back in the Kate Carnell days there was talk of the Canberra Southern Cross Club attempting to buy the Phillip outdoor pool and put a roof over it. There was supposed to be some sort of agreement that if the club sponsored the Canberra Capitals (which they did) that Kate would look kindly upon them next time the lease for the pool was up. Never happened, wish it had!

I think the fact they still had 1500 swimmers weekly, despite the mouldy state of the changerooms and the ancient pool demonstrates a need for a pool.

I hope this isn’t going to turn into yet more units.

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