This December/January rolling update was first published 11th December and last updated 26th January 2024. Updates can be viewed in sequence, starting with the latest first.
Jan 26th - Site visit by Councillors
See dedicated report page here: https://www.paulgogarty.com/post/lucan-pool-site-visit-jan-2024
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Area Committee Update 23rd January
To ask the Chief Executive for an updated completion timeline for the Lucan Swimming Pool and to outline dates for a site visit by members and the promised meeting with Aura Leisure should these regrettably not have been scheduled by the date of this meeting?
Reply:
"The current programmed completion date for Lucan Pool is still under review and is to be confirmed with the contractor and the design team in light of a number of significant milestones which are due in the coming weeks including the delivery and installation of the moveable floor, the main screeding of the pool, tiling packages and the Irish Water drainage connection. We will be able to provide a more reliable programme for overall completion once these milestones are achieved.
"A site visit for Councillors has been arranged for 10am on Friday, 26th January and a meeting with Aura Leisure on Tuesday February 20th at 2pm."
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17th JANUARY UPDATE - Tour of pool works and rescheduled meeting with pool manager
1. We were told at last Monday's Council meeting that Councillors will be given on-site tour of the pool facility on Friday 26th January next. It is now 16 months since I first requested a site tour which SDCC had promised to arrange much earlier...
2. We were also given a rescheduled meeting with Aura Leisure, to discuss operational issues and spaces for local clubs and groups. This takes place near the end of February.
3. I have a further query down for the January Area Committee meeting scheduled for next Tuesday 23rd January. It was tabled before we got the site visit date last Monday:
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19th DECEMBER AREA COMMITTEE UPDATE
Motion:
That the Chief Executive provides full information to the elected members and the people of Lucan for the reasons behind the latest in a series of completion delays for Lucan Swimming Pool, outlining the latest estimated completion date, outlining the penalty clauses that have been invoked with the contractor to date, and commits to holding a special meeting in the New Year to forensically examine all the contractual and management failures that led to this delay so as to avoid such debacles happening again on major projects involving this local authority.
REPORT:
"Following receipt of proposed programme revisions from the contractor, a detailed update is being prepared in advance of both the site visit for Councillors and a proposed meeting for local Elected members with the operating partners which had to be rescheduled. The programme revisions relate to continued challenges for the contractor in combining the required alignment of utility connections, sub-contractor availability and supply of key materials as well as having to carry out some minor corrective works. This will impact on the most recent projected timeline for completion of the facility, but our only viable option is to continue to try to work with the contractor to get this project over the line as soon as practically possible."
The meeting with Aura Leisure did not take place in November due to a clash with a traffic management meeting which I alerted SDCC to but which they did nothing about.
This is due to be rescheduled and we are also being told that our long-standing request to have a site visit to the pool facility should be arranged soon.
But SDCC cannot give a completion date at this time which is maybe just as well given every timeline provided so far has been well off the mark.
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- Update 6pm 11th December -
I raised this at today's meeting. The Acting Chief Executive described the pool tonight as "a complex and meticulous project. The contractor is working very meticulously on this". He added that any date that had been given was "given in good faith with the genuine intent that these dates could be achieved".
He added that regretably and unfortunately it won't be completed this month or probably next month.
The Council also alluded to an earlier agreement for Councillors to meet with Aura Leisure, the management company for the new pool complex. This was scheduled for 2:30pm on the 28th of November. However after I pointed out that this clashed with another meeting and suggested moving one slightly, the meeting was cancelled and a new date has not yet been arranged. This is entirely the Council's doing as we could have simply moved a Traffic Management meeting by 30 minutes. We are also due to get a tour of the facilily, something I asked for 14 months ago, but no time slotted in yet.
All this delay means that the company appointed to manage the facility, Aura Leisure, will not be in a position to fit out the facility and train staff for some time.
I hope this doesn't drag on for much longer. But as someone who has raised this issue more than any other elected representative over the years, I find the entire process hugely frustrating - as no doubt do the people of Lucan.
Having questioned the acting Chief Executive briefly about the further delays today during the Capital Projects Update, I also have the following motion tabled for the Area Committee meeting on the 19th of December:
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Original post Dec 11th 10am - Pool construction will not be completed for some time yet
In July and September Council Management said the delayed pool would be completed on 26th October. In October and November they said December (see previous update here: https://www.paulgogarty.com/post/lucan-swimming-pool-update-october-2023). As of today it is clear that the works will not be completed by the end of this month, and quite possibly by January either. This is no surprise to anyone watching the pace of works, but it is still hugely frustrating for everyone. As I mentioned recently, I've probably raised the pool issue more times than anyone in the history of Lucan, but it's not pleasant to be the constant bearer of bad news outside your control.
