Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
No end in sight to Olympia closures
BOSSES at the beleaguered Olympia centre in Dundee admit the ongoing closure of two swimming pools is “frustrating” – but still cannot confirm a reopening date.
The leisure and toddler pools have been closed since February 5 after a problem was discovered with the red flume.
The closure came two days after a support rod became detached from the flume structure and fell close to swimmers below.
The Olympia’s competition pool hosted fun sessions during the Easter break in the absence of the leisure pool.
However, pressed on the matter again this week, Leisure and Culture Dundee was still unable to put a timeframe on the pools reopening. The operator has also refused to reveal the cost of the latest repair work.
A spokesperson said: “Family swim sessions took place in the competition pool at Olympia during the Easter school holidays and we were pleased to receive feedback from people who attended.
“Everything is being done in preparation for the reopening of the facilities and a public announcement will be made as soon as possible.
“Ensuring the safe opening of the pools is of the highest priority.
“We would like to thank people for their ongoing patience as we appreciate how frustrating the closure has been.
“Other facilities including the training/competition pool, gym and group exercise activity room remain open as normal.”
Meanwhile, council leader John
Alexander has requested members of the local authority’s city governance committee agree to the formation of an independent investigation when they meet on Monday.
Speaking on the proposal, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Dundee City Council Fraser Macpherson said any inquiry would need a clear objective.
“The whole thing [with the Olympia] has been a fiasco, quite frankly,” he said.
“But there are certainly some questions we will be raising on Monday night regarding the cost of such an inquiry and what it is seeking to achieve.
“Having a look back is all very well but what you want to achieve is there are no further issues at the Olympia going forward.
“I want to see a quality swimming facility that doesn’t continually have closures. That’s what the people of Dundee are owed.”
The Olympia has faced a series of problems since it reopened in December following £6 million of repairs that took more than two years to complete.
The facility was handed back to Dundee City Council by contractor Robertson Construction Tayside in early October.
But less than a month later, officials at Leisure and Culture Dundee raised “urgent” concerns about the condition of the Olympia.