Sunshine Coast Council today unveiled its $1.69 million renovations at the Kawana Aquatic Centre that are set to make a world-class splash to the Kawana Sports Precinct.
Division 3 Councillor Peter Cox said a host of works including new tiles and lane markings were installed in the 50 metre pool at a cost of $870,000, while the pool filtration was replaced for $820,000.
The upgrades started ahead of schedule to allow much of the work to be completed while the centre was forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s great that council was able to support local trades during this time while delivering a quality product that’s heated year-round for the entire community to enjoy,” Cr Cox said.
“That means the more than 200,000 people who visit Kawana Aquatic Centre each year will have access to a brand new elite-level pool.
“This is fantastic news for our local community and I’m very proud that Kawana Aquatic Centre, which is open and operating under an approved Covid SAFE Plan, sets the benchmark for the rest of the Sunshine Coast and Australia.”
Kawana Aquatic Centre Facility Manager Paul Sheen said the precinct catered for everyone, from Olympic-level coaches and athletes right through to schools, fitness classes, scuba divers and water polo players.
“We also cater for vision-impaired swimmers and those with special needs who just love the feel of the water and being weightless,” Mr Sheen said.
Kawana Aquatic Centre Director of Coaching Michael Sage, who is also an Australian Open Water Swimming Coach, has supported elite swimmers from this centre at the 2016 Rio Olympics as well as the 2017 and 2019 World Championships.
He said having the new pool gave his swimmers a world-class facility.
“That really helps with accurate timing and race rehearsals, whether that’s through time trials or local competitions,” Mr Sage said.
“Having this facility will help our local swimmers, while further attracting athletes from outside the region, helping to increase the standard of training and competition.
“We have international athletes who train in our program and we hope to attract top level competitors and teams. Last year we were able to have former Open Water World Champion Jordan Wilamoski from the US come and train.
“Hopefully we can continue to build that international standard here at Kawana.”
Mr Sage trains junior, state and national-level squads at the Kawana Aquatic Centre.
Works at the Kawana Aquatic Centre are part of council’s broader investment in aquatic centres across the region, helping support our healthy, smart, creative vision.
The following works were carried out at Kawana Aquatic Centre:
- Removal of the aged surfacing to wet decks, hobs and the entire pool shell surface material;
- Waterproofing to the shell, gutters and balance tanks to protect the shell and increase efficiency in filtration of water, working in collaboration with new filters;
- Complete tiling of the shell and new lane markings installed to support competitive events;
- Improvements to equipotential bonding and light pole earthing throughout the 50m pool zone;
- Removal of the existing aged sand filled filtration system and renewal with a highly efficient single filter;
- New electrical supply and pipework throughout, chlorine and acid sheds, addition of new emergency showers and refurbishment of the redundant water tank for use as dry chemical storage;
- A building management system was also installed to enable remote fault monitoring, ensuring consistent and efficient operation of the plant.
