Huge Panels Help Pool Take Shape

Construction of Dargaville’s 50 metre pool entered a new phase this morning (Monday May 18 2009) when an Atlas 100 tonne crane began lifting precast panels into place along the Jervois Street side of the pool excavation.

The panels, 6.5 metre wide, 2.1 metre high and 200 millimetre thick, weighing up to seven tonnes will form the walls of the new pool. They have been built in Whangarei and trucked to Dargaville for the installation.

Panels for the two ends and the opposite side of the pool will be installed in a separate operation later and will involve a smaller crane as a shorter reach will be required.

Kauri Coast Community Pool Trust Chairman Vern Stevens says the Trust is very pleased with the progress being made, especially considering the weather conditions over recent weeks.

Two thousand four hundred cubic metres of soil have been excavated from the main pool site and the foundations have been lined with Geotextile fabric and scoria. Installation of drainage and pool services there is under way.

Excavation of the learners/hydrotherapy pool is progressing well and the foundations for the plant and the administration buildings are in progress.

“We were lucky that the good weather at the start allowed really good progress with the result that the recent wet spell hasn’t caused many problems, Mr Stevens says.

“Work is still on schedule and the trust is confident that the pool will open at the end of November 2009.”

In addition, last Friday, funding for the project was been boosted by a grant of $76,000 from the Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority (ECA) towards the cost of installing solar heating.