The Georges River Record

The Carss Park pool is on track to be finished in late 2027 and will soon be put on the open market for tendering. The news came as the sports advisory committee received an update on the project at its meeting on Thursday 26 February, with a staff member confirming the delivery timeline set by the Office of Sport has held.

The state government released renders of the pool to the public for the first time on Wednesday. The council will publish the same images on its website once it has the okay to release them.

"currently the project's moving towards being put on the open market for tendering"

A representative of swimming said the renders were very exciting and asked about blankets or covers for the pool in winter. The staff member said the design aims to balance use of the pool with visibility of Kogarah Bay, described as a gem of the site, and that weather conditions and winter operations have been considered and will continue to be as the project moves to 100 per cent design and then construction.

Councillor Moore thanked everyone working so hard to move the project forward and said the public community cannot wait to see the facility open. Another speaker said blankets are hard to hold down in winter westerly winds and that people will not come if the pool cannot be heated properly, adding it is important to get the heating right or it will not be self-sustaining over winter.

On sporting infrastructure capital works, the committee heard construction of an optimal fence at Penshurst Park is part of bringing the park up to National Premier Leagues 1 standard for football. The council obtained development consent for the work.

A club representative raised concern about pre-season training and the closure of playing fields because there is no facility at this stage to store equipment across the three venues. A councillor said the club has been consulted heavily on relocation of storage and temporary amenities and that a transition plan is in place, while the representative said logistically it is a huge concern.

The committee also heard feedback from a November 2025 workshop on sporting amenities and storage. Staff said the report feeds back benchmarking and consultation and that a proposed access model will go out for broader community consultation through clubs and the council's online platform before going to council for endorsement. Staff said the framework is not locked in and that previous financial contributions by clubs will be considered in future fee determinations.

In the sport, community facilities and events update, staff said Hurstville Aquatic and Leisure Centre has completed filter replacements and is on track to exceed 1.2 million visitations this financial year. At Sans Souci Leisure Centre, major diving works in the indoor pool were completed over the Christmas break and traffic management and parking upgrades are in response to community feedback. Events staff also answered a question about event grants for a club's 100 year centenary dinner, saying it would depend on the venue and other factors and that there are several pathways including venue, event or sponsorship options.