The Wingham Memorial Pool will not be able to open this swim season, following an assessment of damage sustained during the May 2025 one-in-500 year flood event.
MidCoast Council has confirmed that an engineering assessment has identified that there is significant damage as result of the flood which cannot be fixed before the start of the 2025-2026 swim season, which traditionally starts in October.
According to the assessment the pool floor has severe cracking and slabs have separated as a result of ground movement during the flood.
"The damage is significant and includes cracking and movement of the pool base and walls," said Director of Liveable Communities, Paul De Szell.
"There is also likely damage to the water reticulation network installed under the pool slab."
Mayor Claire Pontin will be calling for funding to replace the pool as part of her ongoing advocacy to State and Federal Governments for money to repair public spaces damaged during the May flood event.
The Mayor has already briefed the Member for Myall Lakes, Tanya Thompson, on the situation.
"The cost of a new pool is unknown, however we expect it to be in the order of $10 million, and this is something that, like so much of the damage sustained, is beyond our capability to fund," Mayor Pontin said.
It is hoped that a funding package for community infrastructure in the MidCoast would cover the cost of a new pool for Wingham.
Just prior to the flood an engineering assessment had been carried out on the pool, which included core sampling of the floor. This assessment revealed that the pool was in a reasonable structural condition and expected to last for another 10 years.
"Not having a pool for this swim season is an enormous blow to the Wingham community and we will be prioritising funding applications to support a new pool as soon as possible," Cr Pontin said.
