During a Council meeting on Monday, March 28, a motion to accept a lump sum tender from the Victorian YMCA for the management and operation of Horsham Aquatic Centre until 2025 was accepted.

The tender amounts to $825,863.63, excluding GST, for a three year period, with an option to extend the tender for two further three year periods.

In moving the motion, Councillor Les Power said the HAC was the place to be in the region.

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"Where would we be in Horsham if we didn't have the Horsham Aquatic Centre?" Cr Power said.

"It's one thing that has flourished in Horsham over the last ten-twelve years since it's been here.

"It's a place you need to be... I was lucky enough at different times (over summer) to see numerous people down there."

Councillor Penny Flynn said the Horsham Aquatic Centre was often cited as the "number one" piece of infrastructure in Horsham.

"The Aquatic Centre is a really important piece of infrastructure not only for our community, but the wider community." Cr Flynn said.

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"I know from time to time people from outside our municipality bring their groups and sporting clubs to use the facilities."

"It's really important we continue to provide that service and option, and the opportunity for people to engage in these activities (at the HAC)."

Cr Flynn noted that Council went through a competitive tender process before a contract was offered to the Victorian YMCA (the Y).

On June 30 2020, the current contract to manage the operations of the Horsham Aquatic Centre expired, prompting a requirement to go out to the market and seek a new contractor to deliver the service.

However, the expiry coincided with the HAC's closure due to COVID-19 and a Ministerial Exemption to temporarily extend the service contract with the Y was granted.

During this time, tender documents were prepared and submitted to the market on December 13 2021 to seek expressions and interest in a new contract to manage the HAC.

At the close of the tender, it was down to two submissions; one from the Victorian YMCA and one from Belgravia Leisure.

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