Jamie McKenzie
Scaffolding erected to carry out permanent repair work at Inverness Leisure Centre has cost the council almost £50,000 – a rise of £10,000 in recent months caused by further delays.
The scaffolding was erected in April last year, following a safety inspection, which revealed problems with the windows above the public swimming pools.
Temporary repairs were carried out, but the local authority said the internal scaffolding would remain in place as a safety measure, prior to any permanent work being carried out.
However, in addition to the initial cost of £19,663.60 to erect the scaffolding, there have been ongoing charges of £450 a week by the contractor to retain it.
And it was not until December last year that the council advertised for a tender to undertake remedial works to the internal roof of the building – but there was a lack of interest and the authority had to re-advertise, causing further delays.
The Press and Journal reported in January that the authority had run up a bill of almost £40,000. Several councillors said at the time they were “disappointed” about the delays and costs.
Highland Council recently confirmed that the scaffolding has remained in place since then and that the authority has just appointed Morgan Sindall for the work, which is likely to start in mid-July.
The Press and Journal asked the council for an exact current bill for the scaffolding, but the authority was unable to provide this yesterday.
A spokesman for Inverness Leisure stated previously that, other than the aesthetics of scaffolding, there has been minimal impact on the day-to-day operations of the facility.
The council wants a contractor to undertake remedial work on the “defective” timber roof beams which contain the glass windows over the two public pools.
The work is likely to involve the design and construction of a scaffold to reach the beams, the installation of new beams and repair to some of the older ones.
This is expected to cost around £103,000.
