Poor attendance and substandard facilities at Bacchus Marsh Leisure Centre mean creche services will stop, with group fitness classes scaled back, before the end of this year.
All services were facing an uncertain future before Moorabool council’s meeting last Wednesday, but group fitness classes were reprieved when councillors moved to restrict the timetable based on attendance.
A review of services at the leisure centre, owned by Moorabool council and managed by Belgravia Leisure, found that the creche had no running water or access to an outdoor play area.
“For the most part, the creche is under-utilised,” the report stated.
“It is not ideally located and is difficult to access, with little visibility as it is disconnected from the entry, gym and stadium.
“Centre users have regularly indicated that they are unhappy with the standard of the current creche facilities.
“While recent surveys of centre users show that the creche service is highly valued by members, this high value does not translate into significant patronage.”
The review also found that running 23 group fitness classes a week was unsustainable.
Group classes will be scaled back to 15. On average, only four to five participants attended each fitness class at Bacchus Marsh in the past year.
Eastern ward’s Cr Tonia Dudzik said the council needed to continue supporting the community’s health goals.
“It’s important for us to find a long-term solution for residents who want to stay fit,” she said. “We can’t be telling residents to go out and keep fit and do exercise and then not provide them with a means to do so.”
Western ward councillor Tom Sullivan said ceasing classes might provide opportunities for residents to use share facilities elsewhere.
Cr Paul Tatchell said the review highlighted a need for a purpose-built fitness centre in Bacchus Marsh.
“We need good facilities in this area and we need to get politicians interested in these facilities so that we can get funding for them,” he said.
