Southern Swimming Pool wants to set the “record straight” following articles over the maintenance works at the pool during the October half term.
During half term, automatic front doors were installed and the changing rooms were partially refurbished.
The pool says that both these works were necessary and scheduled to minimise inconvenience to customers.
Costs of Works
The Board is very grateful to the Town and Village Regeneration Scheme run by the Department for Enterprise which contributed towards the cost of the doors.
The balance for doors and the entire changing room work was paid for by Southern Swimming Pool from its own funds.
The Minister for Education, Sport and Culture was questioned in Tynwald concerning the timing of the maintenance works and whether any additional funding had been provided to the Southern Swimming Pool.
DESC Minister Daphne Caine MHK stated that minor capital funding of £45,000 had been allocated to the Southern Pool.
She did not say that it had been used to fund the October works nor that it had been given to the Pool.
Funds Made Available
The pool says “it had simply been made available for capital works at the Pool which fulfil the Scheme’s criteria”.
The Minor Capital Works Scheme (MCW) for the three regional pools is a rolling scheme with a total budget of £150,000 and is administered by the DESC.
The pool added: “Each regional pool is initially allocated £45,000 so that there is an overall £15,000 contingency.
“DESC have stringent criteria for approving applications for funding including obtaining consultants reports, scopes of work and tendering depending on the project and its cost.
“The process is rigorous to ensure that Government funds are well spent. The Pool is presently operating within budget and is not in a deficit situation.
“The Board will be making applications through the MCW Scheme to address essential maintenance and renewal of the fabric.
“The Southern Swimming Pool Board strive to serve the local community to the best of its resources.
“The Pool is operated to offer the best selection of sessions to appeal to the widest cross section of the local population at the most economic cost.”
