New contractor to be appointed for Blairgowrie Recreation Centre maintenance
Blairgowrie Recreation Centre stands empty and unused nearly a year after a contractor was appointed for maintenance.
Almost a year later and the Blairgowrie Recreation Centre is back to square one in its maintenance project.
The centre was closed in June last year for what was supposed to be a four-month renovation.
But there were delays upon delays and ultimately, the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) finally terminated its contract with the contractor and is again looking for a new contractor to finish the project, which has already cost R2.6 million.
The JDA met users of the centre at a public meeting on June 2.
There, acting JDA CEO Siyabonga Genu blamed the contractor.
“We realised the contractor did not have the financial capacity to complete the project,” he said.
“I admit it did take us longer to terminate the contract than it should have. But tomorrow we will start the process to appoint a new contractor.”
He said most of the work, which included retiling the entrance hall and working on the creche, had only been done in the final two weeks of the contract.
Users questioned Genu and other JDA officials present why the contractor was not first verified to have the ability to fulfill the contract, why there seemed to be no oversight by the agency on the project, and why the basic scope of the work was lacking in detail.
But Genu refused to answer some of these questions, arguing that the JDA did not want to look at the past, but focus on the future and see the project through.
He said stakeholders would work more closely to ensure the scope of the project was more detailed because according to the previous plan, only two months of work was left.
Ward 102 councillor David Potter agreed that meetings between stakeholders needed to be productive and focus on setting things right, rather than the mistakes of the past.
“We have covered the whole history of this and we can debate it all day but the future is more important,” he said.
“This is one of the largest and most well used facilities in Joburg. We need it open as soon as possible.”
Kelly-Ann van der Meer, who runs the creche at the centre complained that according to the contractor’s report, the renovation of the creche was completed, while a light did not work, windows were broken, paint was peeling off walls, and more.
Robyn Tserpes of Dancefun said she had not been able to find a new venue for her dancers.
This while Andie Ragavan had booked the hall for a day for pre-wedding prayer in September and wanted a guarantee the hall would be ready so he could pay caterers.
Fay Renney of Rainbow Line Dance expressed her disappointment that so much money had been spent and little had been done.
Henry Jensen and Teresa New of Randburg Art Society said their group had been at the recreation centre for more than 30 years but they had to start using a new venue.
The centre is still a construction site so people are not allowed to enter.
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