Quick action keeps pool closure to a minimum

The local Members in Badenoch and Strathspey have praised council staff for their swift reaction and hard work to ensure the swimming pool at the Craig MacLean Centre in Grantown was able to reopen less than 24 hours after it closed to the public due to safety concerns.

A block of concrete was discovered under the floor surrounding the pool tank so as a precaution staff closed the pool on Thursday afternoon (17 February) and arrangements were made for a structural engineer to carry out tests.
 
A structural survey and safety inspection was carried out on Friday morning after remedial work was completed and the pool was able to reopen to the public by 5pm.

Councillor Gregor Rimell said:  “Staff should be praised for quickly spotting the problem and reporting it.  We treat all safety concerns seriously and thanks to good team working it did not take long to get a structural engineer on site to assess the problem.  Everyone did all they could to keep the time the pool was out of use to a minimum and I am sure customers appreciated the way the staff dealt with the problems.”

Councillor Jaci Douglas added:  “My daughter and her friend were swimming at the time and so were some of those asked to leave the pool but they said the staff looked after them very well and they were quite happy to play badminton instead. I think the free hot chocolate they were offered helped! It’s just typical of the excellent manner and friendliness of the staff at the Craig Maclean Centre that they were able to be both professional and caring at the same time – afterwards my daughter didn’t express any alarm or concern at what had happened. As a parent, you can’t ask for more than that and I can’t praise them enough for their prompt action.”

Props have been installed under the floor surrounding the pool tank.  The next stage will be for the Council’s Housing and Property Service to carry out further investigative and design work before a permanent repair is made.