Greater Shepparton City Council will investigate the possibility of making entry to the splash park at Aquamoves free.
Currently, people wishing to use the splash park must pay an entry fee, as they do for use of the pools and other services within the centre.
That’s something Cr Fern Summer would like to change.
Cr Summer put a motion to council’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 27 asking council to produce “a report outlining costs and benefits of providing free general access to the Aquamoves splash park, with a view to enhance and promote paid visitor participation to the main Aquamoves facility”.
Cr Summer’s proposal included that the report should include the feasibility of complimentary access from an external fence adjoining the splash park facility, and/or coloured wrist bands from the main entrance.
Cr Summer told the meeting free entry to the splash park might lead to increased fee-paying users at Aquamoves.
“There’s huge pockets of our community who don’t have any intention of going to Aquamoves but a free splash park right outside could be a very strong incentive,” Cr Summer said.
“You generally don’t wander to the back of the lake by accident. It needs to be a destination.”
Cr Ben Ladson supported the motion, saying opening the splash park to free access could integrate it with other attractions in the area.
“There’s grassy play areas, the hill, this would just complement all that’s already going on. (Such as) The coloured lights around the lake,” he said
“In a cost-of-living crisis, to be able to open up the gates and have anybody come in and enjoy one of the town’s services, it’s such a great idea.”
Deputy Mayor Sam Spinks said she admired the idea but doubted it was practical or strategically justified.
“We can’t even afford to upgrade our skate parks, which are already free, accessible community spaces, let alone to take on another program that we need to support in this way,” she said.
The request for a report on the concept was supported by Cr Anthony Brophy.
“I’m not sure if this particular report asked for by Cr Summer will support the outcome financially, but I do support the concept, and maybe there’s a bit of a timing issue, particularly as Cr Spinks pointed out that we are waiting for the (Aquamoves) master plan ... but I think asking for a report, that will flesh all that out when it comes,” he said.
Cr Seema Abdullah opposed the motion, saying it could not be afforded.
“This cost-of-living crisis is also impacting organisations like councils,” she said.
“At some point, we have to decide what is a ‘nice to have’ service and what is a ‘must have’ service.”
The motion was also opposed by Cr Geoff Dobson, who said other groups might reasonably ask how council could justify making the splash park free when their projects were pending.
“The need to help out Tatura, the need to put lights on the skate park, the need for other areas, even down at Murchison, to be doing more work down there,” he said.
“I think those priorities, in my mind, take precedence over free entry into Aquamoves.”
Another to speak against the motion was Cr Dinny Adem, who said the cost would be too high.
“It would actually be interesting to see a report, to get it in front of you, and that may change even Cr Summer’s view on the whole issue. Maybe not, but as Cr Abdullah said, a report still drains our resources to a degree,” he said.
Mayor Shane Sali voted for the motion as a means of receiving more information about the proposal, but said he didn’t think it was logical.
“If you’ve got a business, being Aquamoves, that is haemorrhaging every single year, losing money every year, this is not a wise business decision to invest more money and resources into losing more money at a business, and I’m happy to be proved wrong, but I’ll be deeply surprised if it comes back showing a positive return,” he said.
The motion was carried in a split vote with Crs Ladson, Brophy, Sali, Summer and Greg James voting in favour and Crs Spinks, Abdullah, Dobson and Adem voting against.