Major work will begin on the Candelo Pool shell on Monday, November 25, following the recent discovery of serious defects in the structure during routine maintenance.
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The works, that will include repairs to the expansion joint and significant render remediation, will delay the opening of the pool, now expected to be in late January ahead of the school carnival season.
A report to the November 27 council meeting will recommend extending the season at Candelo through until the end of April, with season passes to be half price and pool entry reduced to $2 (from $4.50 for an adult and $4 for a child/concession) at the pool in recognition of the serious impact on the community.
The render defects stem back to the pool's construction in 1996 on behalf of a community group and were discovered during preparations for the pre-season repainting of the pool.
Since then, council has worked with civil and structural engineers to determine the full extent of the issues and identify the correct course of treatment and the materials required.
Council's director assets and operations Anthony McMahon said it is frustrating the rendering was not completed properly when the pool was built and now it needs to be resolved with a reactive repair to get it operational again.
"We completely understand that the situation will be disappointing for the Candelo community and regular pool users, but it is vital to make the pools safe and prevent this being a problem into the future," Mr McMahon said.
Once the repairs to the shell are completed, repainting will be undertaken, followed by the refilling and commissioning of the pool.
The local schools have been kept informed and council staff have been working with them to see that Bega Pool can be used for their annual swimming programs.
The repair work is being carried out by National Concrete Solutions (NCS), who specialise in concrete solutions for the commercial, industrial and civil sectors, importantly including the remediation of concrete infrastructure.
For more information contact council's leisure and recreation manager John Grady on 6499 2222, or email jgrady@begavalley.nsw.gov.au.
