$140M increase in pool construction does not include diving, warm up facilities

Sep 05, 2010 News

$455M Olympic-size pre-fab pool at Pattensen…
Even as the debate over the ridiculous cost of Guyana’s Olympic-size swimming pool rages, there is still the absence of a diving pool, a warm up pool and a covered stand for spectators.

The VIP toilet facility at the pre-fab pool

In the Kaieteur News dated July 23, 2009 it was stated that the Olympic-size pool will cost $316M to construct after initial ideas to build diving and warm-up pools were shelved due to concerns about cost. The cost has now risen to $455million without the diving and warm-up pools.
Initially, it was felt that a diving pool, an Olympic size pool and a warm up pool could have been achieved, but Minister of Sport Dr. Anthony said that the cost would have been too much for the Government of Guyana to undertake. It was therefore decided to go with what Guyana needed at the moment.
“We went back to the drawing board and decided to develop just a swimming pool of Olympic dimensions – 50m by 25m and the depth would be three meters – that is now the recommended FINA specifications,” Dr. Anthony explained.
In addition to the pool, the Minister disclosed that there would be a spectators mound on the eastern side of the facility to accommodate between 800 and 1000 persons. Towards the northern side of the mound sanitary facilities would be installed while on the western side, a building would be constructed to accommodate changing rooms, lockers and other amenities that go along with such a facility. There will also be the pump house.

This is the interior of the shower facility at the Barbados Aquatic Centre

“It would also house a storage area while upstairs there will be a viewing gallery for VIPs – that’s what is happening. So when they are finished we will be receiving a complete facility ready for use by our swimmers.”
The swimming pool has been a start and stop project for about three years. There were excavations and a pile driving exercise at a cost of more than $40 million. This was abandoned to accommodate a drop-in pool fashioned by Myrtha Pools of Italy.
One member of the Guyana Olympic Association asked, “Even if the costs of materials and labour have risen over the past year and even in the deduction of two important components to complement the Centre, how could the cost of construction rise so inexorably?”
A comparison of a similar Centre in Barbados will show that their Complex is designed for competitive swimming and watersports as well as other pool-based recreational activities. It was built by the Barbados Amateur Swimming Association at a cost of US$750,000 at the time, with funds raised entirely by its efforts.

The covered stand

The facility boasts a 25-metre by 10-metre teaching pool which is one metre deep. There is also a 50-metre by 25-metre pool which can be used for both short course and long course laps. Daktronic timing equipment is installed and starting blocks and anti-turbulence lane markers are of international standards.
The Guyana pool will have none of these features so it cannot be truly considered a pool built to international standards.
In Barbados, a covered stand seats 800 spectators and runs the full length of the 50-metre pool.
All told, the facility was built at a total cost of approximately Bds$1.5Million (equiv US$750,000) by Construction Engineer Angus Edghill, who was also the leading Masters swimmer in Barbados. Edghill rose to the challenge and offered to build the Centre at cost.
There were no sympathetic contractors in Guyana, perhaps because none was invited.