Failed water pipes at the council-owned 25m pool in Sunbury is the basis of a claim against insurers, says a council spokesperson this week. The $4m pool was opened in 2018 by Hume Council leisure centres and sports manager Bruce Fordham.
The popular attraction at the town’s Sunbury Aquatic and Leisure Centre was closed in May with council citing leaking pipes. It’s not the first time the pool has been closed for repair work, users lost use of the pool in 2022 according to a Facebook post.
In a statement to SunburyLife, council stated that its engineers advised that in order to re-open the pool it would need to cut and excavate the pool deck and its shell, replace the filtered return pipe work and re-establish the pool shell and pool concourse.
Initially, work was budgeted at $45,000, but rose to more than $500,000 once the scope of works needed became apparent. Additional work at the aquatic centre has seen the total bill rise to more than $1m.
Council says it engaged specialised aquatic engineers to assess the repairs, and that their assessment determined the nature of the required work, and the contractors needed to execute the repairs.
“Due to the critical nature of the damage and the suspension of essential community services, such as learn-to-swim programs, council invoked the emergency exemption provision within its procurement policy,” says a council spokesperson.
“Subsequently, the council sought quotes from qualified aquatic contractors. These quotations underwent evaluation by both the council and the aquatic engineer to ensure suitability and cost-effectiveness in swiftly restoring the facility and resuming operations.”
Roejen Services was appointed as the lead contractor for the repair project, says the council.
