Rainy weather has delayed some aspects of the job in recent weeks but Zauner Construction and the city council are working together to get the job finished by the target of December 1.

Building work began in February on WAVES (the Wodonga Aquatic Venue and Exercise Space) on a project on the White Box Rise estate expected to cost $10.6 million.

The gaping hole will hold the 50-metre, 10-lane heated pool and yesterday Zauner’s team led by site manager Andrew Dean and foreman Jason Callow were supervising the start of construction of the walls and associated drains.

Next to the pool area is a complex, largely underground structure that will house the filtration plant, a recycled water system and a gas-fired co-generation system to heat the centre, including a separate children’s pool and play facilities.

The council acting engineering manager Theo Panagopoulos said the main pool’s depth would be mainly 1.8 metres, reducing to 1.2 metres at the shallow end.

“It will be compliant for water polo and will have the standard starting blocks for swimmers,’’ Mr Panagopoulos said.

Zauner’s team of staff and subcontractors have also laid the slab for a large building to hold a cafe, community meeting room and change rooms.

The pool is not being constructed with a view to converting it to an indoor centre later, the council taking the view that the city already has an all-year heated centre at the Wodonga Leisure Centre.

The YMCA, which operates the leisure centre, will also operate WAVES.

The new centre on Victoria Cross Parade is within walking distance of the Woolworths shopping plaza and the Wodonga South primary school.

The state government gave a $2.5 million grant towards the cost.