An overview of the Balaklava Swimming Pool construction site with form work in place for the second half of the Splash Pad (back centre), form work has also started in the 25 metre eight lane disability accessible pool (front).

BALAKLAVA and Owen’s swimming pool upgrades are knee deep in construction with concrete cut, form work laid and Balaklava’s feature splash pad halfway through construction.

Wakefield Regional Council Mayor Rodney Reid said exciting times were ahead as pools’ combined $4 million works progressed towards completion.

“It’s fantastic to finally see how State and Federal Government grant funding – coupled with Council’s contributions – are bringing these projects to life. I’ve been lucky enough to tour the Balaklava site to catch an early glimpse of just how fast the project is progressing,” Mayor Reid said.

“Once both pools are complete, we will have state of the art facilities that will encourage and attract both local residents and visitors to enjoy these wonderful community hubs over the summer.”

TPS Aquatics Project Manager Paul Such said he was excited to finally see both projects unfolding.

“The Balaklava swimming pool has seen a massive transformation with the old 25m pool completely removed – while the learn to swim pool’s concrete sides have been cut and excavated ready for the installation of a new wet deck surround,” Mr Such said.

Once completed the redeveloped Balaklava Swimming pool will situate itself as a regional aquatic hub for all neighbouring communities to enjoy throughout summer.

The centrepiece of this regional aquatic hub will be the addition of a new splash pad catered to children aged 1-12 years old.

About 50% of the splash pad has already been constructed, with the remaining form work and concreting set to be completed this week.

Key features of the new splash pad include a water tipping bucket and colourful fountains and these features will begin to arrive onsite over the coming fortnight ready for installation.

“Once we’ve constructed the other half of the splash pad’s form work, we’ll be waiting on better weather so we can pour the concrete,” Mr Such said.

“Each day we see more and more kids peeking through the fence watching us work as they walk to school – they all keep a pretty close eye on what we’re all up to.”.

The foundation for the 25 metre eight lane disability accessible pool has already been laid – as form work construction begins, the TPS team will create six squares which will form the concrete base of the pool. Plumbers will then lay the pipework and fittings ready the concrete pour before TPS shifts focus to the outside shell of the pool.

As the Balaklava site forges ahead, demolition works at Owen have also been progressing in preparation for the installation of a new wet deck surround.

Council has been onsite at Owen removing the outdated concrete concourse that skirts the pool – work crews have also temporarily removed the slide and diving boards as construction begins around the large pool.

The $3.2M Balaklava pool project is supported by the Federal Government’s Building Better Region’s Fund and the South Australian Government’s Local Government Infrastructure Partnership Program grant.