Sports Minister Yvette Berry has given a personal assurance that all of Canberra's outdoor pools will open in time for summer, with even Phillip pool slated to open in November, according to correspondence between herself and a concerned resident.
Ms Berry said on Friday that she had written to the owners of the Phillip pool site, Geocon, to ask them to guarantee the facility will open for summer.
"I have written to Geocon asking them for an assurance, that they will be opening up," she said.
Residents have seen lines being painted on the 50-metre pool at Phillip, leading them to assume the pool will be open for summer.
"Well, that's what I assume and that's our expectation," Minister Berry said.
However, when asked if it was opening for summer, a spokeswoman for Geocon responded: "Nothing new to report. We will be in touch once we have any updates to share".
An email sent by Ms Berry last month to a concerned resident said the Minister had met with Geocon in January and "Geocon indicated repairs to the pool would be completed in time for the facility to open in early November 2023 (as per the requirements of the Crown Lease)".
The email from Ms Berry also detailed some of the work Geocon had been doing to the facility including fixing cracking to the main pool, painting all the pools and renovating the change rooms.
"The government has been advised that the swimming pool has been undertaking a significant amount of work since Geocon acquired the pool to restore it to working order," the Minister wrote in the email.
Residents are also concerned about the future of the Dickson outdoor pool facility, which is due to open at the end of October.
The pools on Friday remained empty of pool water but some had rainwater and leaves in them. The grass was overgrown and signs were hanging by a thread.
The long-time managers of the Dickson pool told the government more than a year ago it wanted out of the contract. A tender to manage the Dickson pool and four other public pools on behalf of the government closed in April. The new managers have still not been announced.
"I know people are feeling a bit worried because the managers who have been there [at Dickson] for so many years are moving on now, but I guarantee that it will open at the time it's supposed to open for the summer season," Ms Berry said.
"My understanding is it will be ready on time and it will open at the end of October, the same as the city pool."
The Environment, Planning and Sustainable Directorate, meanwhile, has confirmed that under the new Territory Plan, Geocon won't need to replicate the current Phillip facilities in any future redevelopment of the site.
A spokesperson said "any redevelopment of the Phillip pool site will be required to provide, at a minimum, a publicly accessible indoor, eight-lane 25-metre pool and associated amenities and facilities".
"The new Territory Plan also has a requirement for an ice-skating rink suitable for national competitions," a spokesperson said.
"This is included in the mandatory assessment requirements in the Woden District Policy in the new Territory Plan."
