The long drawnout stalemate between Walgett Shire Council and the Lightning Ridge Pool Association over a lease agreement for the pool complex came to an end this week, helped in part by The Ridge News.
For weeks now both parties have been sending the agreement back and forth, with neither side willing to give ground on the issue.
It had gotten to the point that the matter was about to referred to the Minister for Lands for adjudication, but after just four phone calls The Ridge News inadvertently helped resolve the whole matter and both council and the pool association are now willing to sign the agreement.
The trouble first began when it became apparent that Western Lands, which owns the ground on which the complex stands, never gave approval for it to be built in the first place.
The complex had all the correct approvals from council, but for some reason these were not forwarded to the Department of Lands as they should have been, meaning that the entire pool complex had been built illegally.
A solution was proposed a few weeks ago whereby the pool association would lease the entire complex, including the pool, theme park, diving pool, sports centre, library and arts centre, then lease the library and arts centre back to council.
This did not please the pool association who were concerned they would be stuck with additional expenses related to the library and arts centre.
"If we take them there will be public liability insurance, repairs, cleaning ... we have enough to look after as it is now without having to take on more things," pool association president Richard Mallouk said.
Council refused to move on the issue, though, insisting the association take control of the whole complex.
"You can't take those two buildings (the library and arts centre) out of the lease because it's all on the same land," administrator Hugh Percy said.
For several weeks the agreement passed back and forth between the two parties.
The pool association would cross the library and arts centre off the lease and send it to council, who would add them on again before sending it back.
It wasn't until The Ridge News did interviews with both Mr Mallouk and Mr Percy that a simple solution presented itself.
The pool association will take control of the library and arts centre as proposed and council will indemnify them against all costs that would be incurred, including everything from public liability to the running of the air conditioning.
When Mr Percy smoothed over one last point of contention by promising that council and not the pool association would be responsible for painting the building an agreement was struck.
Mr Mallouk was delighted with the proposal.
"That would make me very happy. I'd gladly sign off on that," he said.
However, he remains skeptical that council will deliver on the promised agreement.
"Words are cheap," he said.
"I'll only be satisfied when I see them written down on paper. They can tell you something today and then tomorrow do something completely different."
Mr Percy responded to this by offering an assurance the verbal agreement would be honoured.
"I'll keep my end of the bargain if he keeps his. With Christmas and New Year so close there'll be a bit of a delay, but we should be able to get something to him by the first week of January," Mr Percy said.
Even before the agreement was reached Mr Mallouk had every confidence the difficulties could be overcome, and bridled at the suggestions that have been made recently in parts of the local media that the stalemate could force the pool to close.
"They can't close the pool. It was never going to happen and anybody who says otherwise is merely scaremongering."
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