Cafe seats are being used to keep clothes dry in swimming pool changing rooms at the new Wick Campus as no seats or coat hooks have been installed.
Professor Iain Baikie, chairman of Newton Park Primary School parent council, said that about 12 of the circular seats have been taken in from High Life Highland’s swimming pool cafe at the former Wick High School.
But he estimated that there are about 40 cubicles without hooks and seats at the new community swimming pool facility, which opened last Wednesday when staff pupils finally moved into their new £48.5million campus.
It follows the revelation in August last year of an earlier design flaw with the pool when it emerged that two lanes of it are not visible from the seating gallery.
Professor Baikie said that he was part of a stakeholder group visit to the swimming pool on January 31 when he noted the latest design issue, but was assured that it would be ready in time for the pool’s opening.
Despite complaining to staff four days later, no hangers or seats have been installed, and it is understood the cafe seats have been brought in as a temporary measure.
Professor Baikie said: “It’s ridiculous, and this lack of response from Morrison’s Construction (parent company Galliford Try) is typical.
“If they are involved with any building then whoever they are building it for has to really monitor the situation and not leave it up to council staff.”
A spokeswoman for Morrison Construction said: “The responsibility for the provision of seats and hooks in the changing rooms lies with the client. We were not required to provide or install these items under the terms of our contract. We have previously advised the client of the lack of seats and hooks.”
A spokeswoman for Highland Council said: “High Life Highland have put in alternative temporary arrangements at the moment.”
Completion of the development – which includes a new Wick High School, Newton Park Primary School, and community facilities – was originally pencilled in for 2014.
The addition of a primary school meant that the date was pushed back to 2015, before it was subsequently postponed to April last year, and then October.
The failure to complete the campus last October led to a new target date to be set for February, but that was also missed.
