RACHEL Finlayson and Kings Park Swimming Pools are once again closed to the public while repairs are undertaken.
Nicole Graham, DA caucus leader in eThekwini confirmed that she and a colleague, Yogis Govender, had visited the pools on 13 August to meet with officials to discuss the problems at each facility. Graham said she was informed that Rachel Finlayson had a leak and a broken filtration pipe.
“This is a salt water pool, and there were also complications as it shares water pipes from the sea with the paddling pools to the south. The pool was emptied and the issues have been fixed, however officials were reluctant to say who was at fault or what caused the problem,” she said.
Considering the initial repairs to the pool which resulted in the pool being closed over a number of peak holiday seasons and cost R8 million, Graham said she was recommending that the matter be investigated to see if the fault lay with the contractor and whether costs could be recovered. “This saga has dragged on for too long and no-one has been held accountable. Surely the contractor has a degree of liability to what happens here. My position is that this needs to be investigated by the Architecture Department who managed the project,” she said.
ALSO READ: Leaking Kings Park pool closed for repairs
Graham said there were two issues at Kings Park Pool – a serious leak and a roof that was damaged in a big storm. She said insurance had paid out R7 million for the roof, but it had not been fixed as the scope of the work had changed.
“The side profiles of the roof also now need to be replaced and new panels have to be ordered as the roof is asbestos. At this stage, the gaps have been filled with plywood but the pool will need to be closed again in 2020 to properly repair the roof. The leak has been fixed and the pool should be open in two weeks. It will then close in February again for the actual roof repairs, which is very frustrating,” she said.
Graham said she planned to engage with the Department and the Legal Department as to the liability of the contractors in these cases.
“There are a lot of issues here. The city’s Architecture Department, who oversee contractors and projects, are severely understaffed and I don’t believe projects are properly managed. I also believe that the city appoints contractors who are not competent, which is certainly the case with Rachel Finlayson. The city must act to recover costs against those who waste money. We plan to meet with both Architecture and the city’s Legal Department to follow these problems up. We can’t allow the contractors to do substandard work and get paid, and when something goes wrong, the municipality has to incur more costs,” she said.
She said she would be keeping a close eye on these pools and would fight to ensure that quality facilities are provided.
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