A BATHURST councillor is adamant an upgrade to the city's indoor stadium remains a priority after it was shut again due to leakage.
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Those at the Bathurst Indoor Sports Stadium were left frustrated once again on Monday when the facility was forced to close after rainwater found its way onto the court.
This has been a common occurrence over the years due to the run-down nature of the facility, which is long overdue for a major renovation.
Bathurst deputy mayor Ben Fry said the situation is "embarrassing" and is something that he'll be "following up really closely".
"This particular issue at the basketball stadium has been around for a while and I've been talking to members of the public both online and in person," he said.
"It's an embarrassing situation where indoor games, that should be immune to weather, have to be called off because of water getting in.
"It's obviously a real issue and something that needs to be sorted out. I know council has made multiple attempts to talk to other levels of government to enable the project to go ahead in terms of a more permanent fix to the roof."
Council replaced a large portion of the stadium's roof in early 2022 at a cost of $70,000.
But further council investigations revealed that water can still make its way in via the whirlybirds on the roof during heavy rain periods with higher winds.
Stadium is a key community asset
Basketball, futsal, volleyball, badminton and netball are all sports that are often played at the indoor stadium.
Throughout the year, it often hosts major basketball carnivals that bring people to town from all across NSW.
So not only is it used by local sporting groups, it's a key community asset that can help drive the local economy.
That's why Cr Fry sees fixing the leakage at the stadium as a priority, despite the council's precarious financial situation.
"The community has said that we should be focusing on roads and infrastructure, but, to me, the basketball stadium is a piece of sporting infrastructure that enables people to live active lifestyles," he said.
"I feel a lot of other sports get some good resourcing throughout the year, but basketball may have seen less in the last decade. I'm keen to have a look at it.
"Discussions are continuing with other levels of government."
He acknowledged there is "some frustration in both the basketball and futsal community, which is fair enough".
