Users of the Mount Beauty Pool are frustrated they will miss at least one month of the 2018 season following a delay on refurbishments.
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Work got under way on a $310,380 upgrade last year with major repairs to the 50-year-old pool expected to be completed by this season.
While the pool usually opens early in November, Alpine Council has announced that will be pushed back until mid-December.
Assets director Will Jeremy told council’s meeting last week that leaks and delayed deliveries had contributed.
“The contractor started work (after being awarded a contract in August) and subsequent to that advised us they had a significant issue with the delivery of the tiles which were coming from overseas, and this wasn’t something we’d been advised of previously,” he said.
“We did work with the contractor to try to look for sources of tiles within Australia, but we were ultimately unsuccessful.”
Mount Beauty Amateur Swimming Club president Kiona Best said work should have started straight after last year’s season close in March.
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“We only get a short season as it is, November to March, and to have that turn into mid-December or later is frustrating,” she said.
“We could lose a fair chunk of our swimmers who will chose not to opt in, and we’ll still have insurance costs. “Normally the schools would both be running sessions pre-Christmas.
“This project has been in the pipeline for three years, so I wonder how, when it gets to actually doing the final bit, it can be left so late.”
Upper Kiewa Valley Community Association’s Mary Pike raised a “lack of communication” with residents, at the council meeting.
“Lots of stories were floating around the community and it would have been much better if something had gone up to tell people what was happening,” she said.
Alpine council chief executive Charlie Bird said council was waiting to have a clear timeline for reopening before speaking to the delay.
“It would have been better to say ‘There’s a problem and we’ll come back to you (when we know it’s reopening)’,” he said.
“When we awarded the contract we understood the pool would be open in mid-November as expected, and that hasn’t happened and I apologise for that.”