The revelation that the Lautoka swimming pool will not be hosting international or local competitions but will only be used for recreation should attract attention.
Lautoka City Council special administrator Ratu Tevita Momoedonu said this last week. He said this was because of the mismanagement of funds by the previous administration.
So in effect, he said, we now have an international pool reduced to a domestic one.
There won’t be any swimming competitions because of this.
Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica told Parliament last week the swimming pool was not even up to the correct measurement.
The swimming pool is expected to be completed in November.
In the face of that, we learn that the scope of work for the pool has been scaled back, with the children’s section removed from construction plans.
The number of toilets constructed has also been reduced.
“We are just trying to salvage and finish the pool for the sake of the ratepayers and public at large,” Ratu Tevita said.
The Government had allocated $4.6million in the 2023/2024 National Budget for the pool, which is expected to be completed by November this year.
In an investigative piece we published on April 22, 2023, the former director of Local Government had allegedly informed a consultancy company on the phone that it had won the $2million swimming pool project tender even before the LCC had met to formally award the tender to the company.
This was revealed in Parliament on April 14 last year, by the Minister for Local Government, Maciu Nalumisa.
Documents presented in Parliament on April 14 also revealed the company selected as the swimming pool project consultant lodged a progress claim payment request to LCC despite not signing a formal agreement.
Documents made publicly available in Parliament on April 14 reveal that in May 2015, the LCC sent a letter to the permanent secretary for Local Government, Housing and Environment, informing him of the outcome of decisions it had taken in relation to the appointment of a lead consultant for its eight lane swimming pool project that would cost $2million.
Seven contractors were paid $6.3million by November 22, 2019 for works carried out on the swimming pool, reveal documents that were filed in Parliament on April 14.
Mr Nalumisa said changes to the project scope in 2015 by the Ministry of Local Government, headed by former minister Parveen Kumar increased the project cost estimates from $2million to $7.8million and that when the tender for the construction was called and quotations received, the actual project cost reached $12.6million.
We now have talks pointing to changes that will see it reverted to a pool that is far from international standard.
We are staring at what appears to be a ridiculous situation.
Aside from the fact that no one has been held accountable for this turn of events, we reflect on the initial aim to turn the Sugar City into a venue for international swimming events and wonder whether it makes sense at all that after the huge jump in budget for the project, we are focused on downgrading it.
We acknowledge the efforts by those in authority to finally do something about this whole saga and bring an end to the long wait.
But after all that effort, and a huge turnaround in budgets, we hope this swimming pool does not end up like a backyard pool!
