The latest chapter in the long-running Big Splash saga is one that should be cause for at least momentary celebration.
The much-loved water park is now for sale, with the shadowy owner apparently losing his appetite to redevelop the site, and his lenders seemingly losing patience with the whole debacle. It's a chance to turn the page, while also commending the campaigning of the Save Big Splash group, which paints this as a "significant moment".
Regardless of one's opinion on the merits or lack thereof of an ageing water park that has clearly seen better days, in a city that rarely enjoys more than four months of outdoor pool-worthy weather each year, the saga has been catnip to many dubious of the ACT government's intentions.
It has been an opportunity for many to lash out at what they see as an untrustworthy government, whose stated aims about what this city deserves to be and to become are too often stymied by opportunistic land or money grabs, like seen over the Phillip Pool site.
But we should take this opportunity, as the fates and fortunes of Big Splash turn a corner, to look at what the future could hold.
It could be the perfect moment for the government itself to buy the pool and turn it into a cherished public asset, much like the Dickson and Manuka Pools, both on large, well-maintained tracts of land, that function as reliable and uncomplicated oases of green and water and fun at the height of the Canberra summer.
By leaving private ownership out of the equation entirely, the government could demonstrate, once and for all, that it is committed to the wellbeing of its citizens, a fundamental part of which involves outdoor recreation.
Many would counter that Big Splash was dated and run down, that an updated version would be expensive to maintain and a drain on the territory's already-stretched resources.
And, like many public facilities, there would be many who would never have the intention or even the ability to benefit from the delights of a waterslide.
But the same argument could be mounted against almost any form of public expenditure, be it festivals, sports, technology or even public transport.
There could be goodwill to be had in taking custodianship of something that clearly means so much to so many, even those never likely to use it.
Restoring to health a swimming facility could be an easy win in the current political climate.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr has already confirmed, categorically, that the government will not allow the site to be rezoned for residential use.
That was back in November, and that hasn't stopped rampant speculation and even leaked development plans from the Translink Management Group, headed by Songnan "Morris" Huang, who bought the lease to the Big Splash site in 2021 for $7.5 million.
The mistrust and pessimism was wholly justified, given the water park failed to open to the public for the 2024-25 or 2025-26 summer seasons and was left abandoned, with no maintenance apparently done to the infrastructure and the site left open to vandals.
But now Mr Huang reportedly has no financial means to pursue his plans, and no prospect of fulfilling his intention to build a residential development on the site.
It could be as good a time as any for the government to step up.
