ADVOCATING for improved sporting facilities for the Rosewood and Thagoona districts is not a vote catching construct for Member for Ipswich West, Wendy Bourne, it is a priority.

Ms Bourne has written to and met with the Ipswich City Council addressing the condition of the Rosewood swimming pool and its closure during the cooler months in sharp contrast to other aquatic facilities in the city.

She has lobbied the council and the state government about the inadequacy of the facilities at the Thagoona football fields and called for an upgrade to both the plumbing and the changerooms at the popular sports venue.

And Ms Bourne has taken a long term, determined approach to raising the awareness of the need with both levels of government by walking the streets to gain signatures on petitions calling for the upgrades.

Undeterred by the responses she has received to date, Ms Bourne, says the petitions, the letters, the meetings, the determined advocacy … “stem directly from residents asking for help to have their voices heard”.

“I’ve been advocating for these upgrades since the issues were raised and continue to write to both council and state government,” Ms Bourne told the Moreton Border News this week.

“These petitions are another way to amplify community voices.”

In early April this year, Ms Bourne wrote to the council expressing her shock that the Rosewood pool was closed for the season on the day before the school holidays began.

“For our local pool not to be open during school holidays because it doesn’t have adequate heating to stay open later, or all year round, is extremely disappointing for all those people who would wish to continue keeping up with their health and exercise, and for all those parents who might be looking for an activity for their children during school holidays,” Ms Bourne wrote in the letter to Mayor Teresa Harding.

“I believe having modern and accessible facilities is crucial to driving greater participation and contributing to the overall well-being of our community.

“As you know, the area is growing so incredibly fast, and I think the people of Rosewood and surrounding areas should have a pool that adequately meets the needs of this growing community.

“They should be able to enjoy the pool all-year round. Having adequate heating would definitely boost patronage at the pool.”

Ms Bourne cited passages from council’s Aquatic Facilities Action Plan of 2022 including: “The existing Rosewood Aquatic Centre is at the end of its useful life. It is recommended a new local level facility be established in the Western region (Rosewood SA2). Capital cost estimates indicate this facility would cost between $5.0m and $7.5m at current prices’.”

And one of the report’s key findings: “Council should start planning as soon as possible for [the pool] replacement if Rosewood requires an aquatic centre … If council wishes to continue using the pools for a few years while a new facility is planned and built, then some maintenance would need to be carried out on the pools and their water treatment plants to improve pool water quality which is currently, in their opinion, unacceptable [estimated cost $78,000].”

Ms Bourne also reminded Cr Harding that in a council press announcement following the adoption of the action plan in 2022, a statement was made that … “$430,000 had been allocated in council’s 2022-2025 Capital Works Program for the necessary early planning and design work needed to progress the Rosewood Aquatic Centre upgrade with the construction, and other projects in the plan to be considered as part of future budget processes.”

This week, Ms Bourne told the Moreton Border News that the petitions would remain open for signatures into the future to underpin the continuing call for upgrades to local sports facilities.

“Ipswich is a key sporting hub, and it’s unacceptable that our athletes lack access to proper facilities,” she said.

“Better infrastructure benefits everyone, not just sporting clubs, but the whole community.”

Copies of the petitions are available at Ms Bourne’s electorate office, on her website, and via her social media pages.