A "perfect storm" of events has led to two popular Perth leisure facilities being threatened with closure.
Live Active Leisure's board will meet tonight at 5pm to decide the fate of Perth Leisure Pool and Dewars Centre.
A petition to keep Perth Leisure Pool open has amassed over 5700 signatures.
Last week the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed Live Active Leisure was considering closing Perth Leisure Pool on September 1 and Dewars Centre from July 1.
It has since emerged it is the leisure pool area with flumes that is under threat and the 25m teaching pool and smaller baby/toddler pool within the building would be kept open.
Perth City North Labour councillor Brian Leishman is one of three Perth and Kinross councillors who sit on the Live Active Board. SNP councillor Steven Carr and Conservative councillor Bob Brawn are also on the board of directors.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Cllr Leishman said: "There's the energy crisis, the cost of living - it's the perfect storm in Perth with the age of the building playing a part. Perth Leisure Pool was built 34 years ago.
"The design of the building is a bit bitty. It's very awkward to heat.
"It's not a closure as such as the teaching part would stay open but closing the leisure water aspect and the impact it would have on families is unpalatable and unthinkable."
The leisure pool area with its outdoor lagoon, rapids and flumes attracts visitors from all over the country. VisitScotland cites it as "one of Scotland's most popular visitor attractions".
Earlier this month councillors voted to pause the PH2O project to replace both Perth Leisure Pool and Dewars Centre as costs rose by a further £20 million.
As well as conference and bowling facilities, neighbouring Dewars houses the ice rink where 2022 local gold medallist curlers Eve Muirhead and Mili Smith honed their skills. Eve Muirhead now sits on Live Active Leisure's board and is expected to attend tonight's meeting.
Only Perth and Kinross Council's two Labour councillors voted to progress the £110 million Passivhaus PH2O project which would be more energy efficient. It was rejected by 38 votes to two.
In October 2021 councillors were told the annual utility costs for Perth Leisure Pool and Dewars Centre were approximately £500,000. Energy costs have since soared.
Following PKC's budget meeting Live Active Leisure's chairman David Maclehose said: "Like many organisations we are managing a range of significant pressures including reduced customer income, rising inflation, high energy costs and the impact of long-term public finance constraints. The venues that we manage and operate are high demand users of energy and therefore the energy cost increases over the last 18 months alone, have had a big impact financially."
Speaking today, Labour councillor Brian Leishman said: "We want to make Perth a premium go-to destination. It's the perfect location - you're just an hour from Glasgow and an hour from Edinburgh. We need to be more proactive and think about what we are doing to generate revenue."
Perth dad-of-two Chris Ness started a petition last Friday to save Perth Leisure Pool from closure.
He said: "A lot of people are of the view that PH2O will not happen at all due to the financial challenges.
"It is imperative the right decision is made tonight and the pool is kept open UNTIL such a time we can actually use a pool like PH2O.
"Too many times big companies etc. make promises, fail to deliver and get away with it, and generally, it's the people who suffer.
"Decision makers - please make the right decision for your city, at least until we have another pool to cherish."
SNP council leader Grant Laing and PKC's chief executive last week met with Live Active Leisure's (LAL) chairman and chief executive to "discuss the way ahead".
PKC's SNP group issued a statement which said: "The leader of the council has had personal assurance from the LAL chair that his board is carefully considering how best to use its financial resources, and to work with the council’s other arms-length trusts to share back-office costs, and minimise cuts to LAL services wherever possible.
"As well as rejecting savings to the LAL contract and providing extra funding to maintain rural services, the council has also committed a further £150,000 to a review of all leisure assets.
"The £90 million approved by council in 2022 for PH20 remains ring-fenced in the budget meantime.
"There are no easy or straightforward answers to the financial challenges both the council and LAL face, as do local authorities and leisure trusts across the country. However, we can assure you we continue to work very closely together to resolve them as positively as we can."
Meanwhile Mid-Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser is "hopeful" both facilities can remain open in the short-term. He put down a motion in the Scottish Parliament and said it is "vital" the facilities remain open.
He said: "Perth Leisure Pool and the Dewars Centre have been a very important part in the social and economic fabric of the city and Perthshire for decades.
"Scottish Curling raised their concerns with us earlier this week. They rightly feel that closing the Dewars Centre would be the ‘death knell for a legacy of curling in Perthshire’ dating back decades.
"We need to hope both venues can be kept open and we will be doing everything in our power to ensure this happens."
The board will meet tonight at 5pm.
