Councillors moved to engage the community at a meeting held last week, following a huge social media outcry surrounding the possibility of the facility closing.
About 1000 people who responded to a post on the Improving Maylands Facebook page made it clear it was “unacceptable” to shut the park down, according to resident Elliaz Pik.
About $2.7 million worth of repairs and refurbishments were needed to ensure the 1970s facility was compliant.
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READ NOWThe centre currently costs about $230,000 a year to run.
Mayor Barry McKenna said the facility’s pools were deteriorating and no longer met modern standards.
There were 32,000 attendees last financial year, 25 per cent less than the year before and park had to be closed twice in 2014-15 because of equipment failure.
“All of the pools and their associated pumps and equipment need to be renewed, and the cost of doing that is significant,” Cr McKenna said.
“Essentially, we’ll be asking the question; do we refurbish or do we look at alternatives for the facility and the site?”
Cr Chris Cornish said discussions needed to include how to finance the project and what people wanted on the site.
“I’ll build a Disney World there if that’s what people want,” Cr Cornish said.
Cr John Riffici said Maylands Waterland was an important asset to the whole of Bayswater and there was an opportunity to develop it into a state-of-the-art facility.
In 2001-02, a major refurbishment that cost $550,000 was carried out. Consultation is expected to take six months to complete.