Further delay to pool opening

The group behind the upgrade to Mid Argyll Community Pool has again revised the opening date for the facility - now planned for the end of April.

In March the pool’s owner Mid Argyll Community Enterprise Ltd (MACEL) announced that while there was plenty still to be done, MACPool should be open for Easter.

Earlier this week John Gurr, chairman of MACEL, said: ‘Unfortunately, availability of the right tradesmen and some extra work required to pass the building warrant stage has delayed handover to pool manager Fiona MacAlpine and her team.

‘We are down to the final snagging list, but we are not going to have the building handed over much before Easter which means we will be open some time before the end of April.

‘I can only apologise for the delay and hope to have a confirmed open date as soon as we have the keys to the building.

‘Please look for updates on the MACPool website, on Facebook and Twitter for details of opening times, new activities and look out for details of our opening day in the Argyllshire Advertiser.’

Work at MACPool is almost complete to create a community hub, complete with new café and soft play areas. The project was expected to be completed by October 2021, but material supply issues and other glitches amid the pandemic pushed it back to January, before unforeseen difficulties – including a previously undetected leak within the existing pool roof – forced a further delay to the handover date, which moved to March 2022 before the Easter target was announced.

The only public indoor pool in Mid Argyll, MACPool was built by the community in 1992 and remains in community ownership.