Three public swimming pools in Cape Town will undergo R11-million-worth of major repairs and maintenance to ensure they are ready for use in the summer.
The City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Zahid Badroodien, explains why the allocated pools are receiving these upgrades.
“Our public swimming pools are extremely popular and often the only respite for many residents from the very hot summers that Cape Town experiences. These facilities are also very popular among exercise enthusiasts and as training facilities for both novice and professional swimmers. The City is committed to providing quality amenities to our residents, which is why we are undertaking these upgrades.”
The swimming pools, based in Athlone, Bellville and Trafalgar, have already been closed for the maintenance.
Each swimming pool has problem areas that need to be addressed.
Athlone’s facility will receive an upgrade to the value of R2.6-million. The refurbishment will include a full replacement of the existing filtration pipes, new flooring and wall tiles, and connecting the baby pool to the filtration system. The upgrades are expected to take up to four months.
The Bellville swimming pool repairs will cost R6-million and involve the reconfiguration of the main pool from a scum to a rim-flow operation, tiling of the pool’s wall and the replacing of the filtration pipes. If all goes to plan, it will take seven months to complete the project.
Trafalgar’s municipal facility’s refurbishment will set the City back R3.1-million and include repairing crack in the walls of the pool, replacing the floor basin, resealing expansion joints, tiling walls, and putting in new paving around the pool. The existing scum channel will be worked on and fixes will be made to the baby pool. This should take six months.
The City says that along with these three pools, the Newlands swimming pool is also planned to be upgraded at some point and is currently under assessment. Before any repairs or upgrades can be made, the final scope of work and estimated costs are still to be determined.
“It is expected that major upgrades will have to take place in order for the pool to be fully operational.”
Kensington Swimming pool was closed on February 28 2019 for R1.6-millon worth of repairs but due to “procurement delays”, the work will only begin in April. Residents are advised that the pool is currently open until the end of March.
The following pools are open until April 22 2019:
Each facility is open from Tuesday to Sunday. During the week opening times are 1pm-5pm and on weekends from 10am-5pm.
-Atlantis
-Langa
-Khayelitsha
-Mnandi
-Bellville South
-Bonteheuwel
-Goodwood
-Vulindlela
-Emthonjeni
-Hanover Park
-Muizenberg
-Eastridge
The City’s four indoor pools, Blue Downs, Retreat, Strand, and Long Street, along with the Sea Point pool, will remain open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends until the end of the Easter weekend.
Badroodien reminds residents to be patient during this time: “We encourage communities to be patient while construction is ongoing as the result will be facilities they can be proud of and enjoy when the heat is on.”
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