Ongoing wet weather over the past two months has caused delays in the completion of the Clarence Regional Aquatic Centre.
Hines Construction and their dedicated sub-contractors, many of whom are local, will continue to work through to Christmas Eve in an effort to complete as much of the outdoor facilities as possible by the end of January 2025. The indoor pools, splashpad, and remaining project components are expected to be finished by the end of February 2025.
Clarence Valley Council’s General Manager Laura Black acknowledged the disappointment of the delayed outdoor facility opening but highlighted the significant progress made.
“Unfortunately, we can’t control the weather. Grafton has received 327.4mm of rain since October and this has impacted the project timeline. We know the community will be disappointed having had no pool for the last couple of summers, as are council’s project managers who have been working hard behind the scenes to deliver the much-needed facility on budget.”
“We are fortunate to have a good relationship with the contractor who continues to make strides, including completing the final sections of structural steel, installing the hydronic in-floor heating system around the indoor pool, and putting up shade structures for the 50m pool, splashpad, and grassed areas.”
Concrete work, including the installation of pathways and core filling the blocks at the rear of the 50m pool building, as well as tiling in the front-of-house amenities and pool areas, are ongoing in the lead up to the Christmas break.
The next major step in the project involves a planned power outage on Friday, 20 December, to allow Essential Energy to install the new substation and main switchboard. Council would like to thank Essential Energy for assisting with this process and their continued support for the project.
“Despite the wet weather delay, enthusiasm for organising the celebratory opening has not been dampened. Staff met with councillors this week to discuss ideas.”
The formal opening will occur in the first few months of 2025, after the complex is operationally opened for public access, to allow for representatives of the funding bodies to be present.
To learn more about the project and to see the progress over the year, visit www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/projects/regional-aquatic-centre
