24 November 2023
North Sydney Council has revealed new design and construction issues with the revamp of North Sydney Olympic Pool which are expected to further delay its reopening.
According to a new report from council staff issued to councillors, “construction of North Sydney Olympic Pool is currently forecast to reach practical completion in July 2024, however, recent design and construction issues associated with the structural steel to the 25m pool hall roof are expected to result in a significant delay that is yet to be determined.”
This Council revelation suggests that the opening of the pool may be pushed back even further from what was originally scheduled for Christmas 2022. Sources close to the project tell the Sun it is unlikely the pool will be open before September next year.
The Council has also commissioned an audit of the quality management systems in accordance with the provisions of the construction contract.
According to the report, “considerable progress has been made in the evaluation of Extension of Time with all claims up until the end of October now assessed. However, there is a significant difference between the quantum of days assessed and those claimed by the contractor.
Council said the current construction contract value is $58.99m, which includes $5.47m in approved variations. The allocated project budget remains $85.87m, which is an expectation of the ultimate cost, the Sun understands.
“The majority of submitted variations have now been assessed however agreement on the valuation of several variations remain to be agreed, which will potentially impact the cost to completion for this project,” the council said.
The North Sydney Council website is still ambiguous about the expected completion date of the pool, stating both April and mid-2024.