Managers of five public swimming pools in Canberra want out

It's understood the YMCA Sydney wants out of all its pool operations in Canberra - seeking to stop managing the Stromlo, Civic, Gungahlin and Lakeside Leisure (Tuggeranong) swimming pools on behalf of the government.

The future management of the Dickson pool is also under a cloud.

Chris Graham and Shay Kennedy, who have managed the Dickson Pool Facility on behalf of the ACT government since 1996, have confirmed they want to terminate their contract at the end of June, one year earlier than their contracted period.

Some of the issues facing the contractors have been limited support in running the enterprises and the attitude of some of the public towards the staff, who are often faced with "inappropriate or confronting" behaviour, even from parents simply being asked to watch their children in the water.

The exodus of management of the pools comes in the wake of the Phillip pool debacle, the revelations coming on a weekend of hot weather when Canberrans are flocking to their local public pool.

The YMCA Sydney would not comment on the matter yet, but said it could "in the coming weeks".

Advance tender documents seeking managers for ACT government pools are now on the Tenders ACT website. They, at one stage, listed all four pools the YMCA Sydney now manages - Civic, Stromlo, Gungahlin and Tuggeranong - but the names of the pools have since been removed from the documents.

The ACT government will only say a tender process will be under way.

"The ACT government's key priority is to ensure all pools will remain operational with full services available to the ACT community," the spokesperson said.

"All pools will remain operational with full services available to the ACT community through the transition between operators."

The government would not be drawn on why it was facing a mass exodus of contractors to manage its pools.

"The ACT government has enjoyed long-term relationships with pool operators in our city and are respectful of any business decisions that are made by providers," a spokesperson said.

It also would not say if it was concerned.

"The ACT government is committed to supporting suitable organisations to submit bids to operate the pools," the spokesperson said.

"Our priority is to establish new long-term operational agreements that enable community pools to continue operating smoothly."

The contracts with YMCA for the Gungahlin, Civic, Tuggeranong were due to expire on June 30. The Stromlo contract was due to expire in June 2026 but it's understood the YMCA no longer wants to operate it either.

The contract for the Dickson pool was due to expire in June 2024.

Dickson Aquatic Centre manager Chris Graham said he and partner Shay Kennedy wanted to terminate the contract a year earlier after 26 years operating the pool for the government and creating a much-loved community facility.

"The previous three seasons took a toll - from managing air quality during the bushfires to two COVID-affected years. Like all small businesses, it was extremely difficult to operate financially and emotionally and there was little to no support provided," Mr Graham said.

They loved being at the pool, particularly seeing young staff grow up and come back years later with their own families had been "magical".

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"The fact that we started here 26 years ago and have transformed the 'ugly duckling' of pools, both in reputation and facility, into something that the community love and cherish is something we value," Mr Graham said.

"We did this on very little money or support. We believe that we have made it a very special place."

Mr Graham said the most difficult aspects of running the pool were the constant pressure to keep people safe - and the way the public sometimes interacted with staff, even parents who were simply being asked to watch their children in the water.

"Everything we do is focused on keeping people safe. Educating parents to keep watch does not always happen without significant pushback on staff," he said.

"Our staff have to manage a lot of feedback from the general public - often delivered in an inappropriate or confronting manner. It is always at the forefront of my mind to ensure that our staff feel safe, supported when confronted with bullying from the public."

Mr Graham hoped that the Dickson Aquatic Centre would be managed in the future "by a small business with the same dedication and passion".

The ACT government has seven public swimming pools managed on its behalf by contractors. There is Dickson and the four run by the YMCA as well as Manuka (operated by Big Island Sports and with a contract until June 2027) and Erindale Active Leisure Centre (run by the Erindale College P and C which engages staff directly and has no end date to its contract).

It costs the government almost $17 million a year to run the aquatic centres, including repairs and maintenance. There are more than 1 million visits to the public pools annually.

Phillip Swimming and Ice Skating Centre was a private enterprise. It was recently sold to the developer Geocon which promised to keep the site operating.

When asked on Friday when the Phillip pool would re-open, a spokeswoman for Geocon said: "There is no update on the opening of Phillip pool. We are currently doing rectification works."

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