Speaking at Monday night's ordinary council meeting, where councillors voted 9-2 to hold a detailed briefing about the potential options for saving the volunteer-run aquatic centre, Cr Fraser acknowledged its long-standing place in the community.

"It's a very important facility, not only to the eastern side of the lake but further afield as well," she said.

"It's been a very important asset and ... has been used by many, many people in our community who are looking for that type of hydrotherapy for health issues and other issues.

"It would be an absolute shame for us to lose that facility."

The VHP committee wants the council to take control of the decades-old facility. It has an ageing volunteer base and can no longer afford ongoing maintenance costs.

The motion for a briefing followed a recent councillor site inspection, which was the result of a deferred decision on a takeover in July.

Council staff had recommended against a takeover in July, suggesting the facility needed upgrades worth at least $11.2 million.

The facility's 15 and 25-metre pools require major upgrades to bring their water quality up to modern standards, but the popular hydrotherapy pool requires little, if any, work.

Cr Fraser said a briefing would allow the council to explore "what parts of the facility we can keep".

"Hopefully we can keep the hydrotherapy pool and then we can move forward," she said.

"There's always a cost of providing facilities, but we have to look at what that facility provides to the community.

"We are an older demographic in Lake Macquarie ... if you look at the federal seat of Shortland, it has one of the oldest ... demographics. It is a facility that is very well needed."

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Cr Fraser said it was a "big ask" for residents of south-east Lake Macquarie to have to travel to Toronto to use the only hydrotherapy pool among the council's six swimming centres.

The council was not deciding on a takeover on Monday night, but some councillors were drawn into discussion about whether the facility was worth saving.

Cr Luke Cubis questioned whether its users would return if they had moved on since the facility closed in March due to the coronavirus. He voted against the motion, as did Cr Barney Langford.

"There are two other hydrotherapy pools nearby," Cr Cubis said in reference to private facilities at Warners Bay and Cardiff.

"We can't buy the seven other private facilities in Lake Macquarie if they go under as well.

"Either way we go, we are supporting and not-supporting residents. If we support the pool, we're supporting the people who would use [it].

"But if we don't support the pool, then we're supporting the 200,000 residents who would have to pay for the pool.

"If we use the 15-metre and 25-metre pools ... there will be a cost to council.

"Other residents who don't use the pools would have to pay for that cost out of their rates, and that's a fair point to consider."