East Maitland Aquatic Centre repair works

Following extensive works to repair structural issues at East Maitland Aquatic Centre, Council can now confirm we are on track to reopen the facility on Monday 9 October. This is a great result for our community and means residents will be able to use the pool for the 2023/24 summer season. 

In the meantime, Council's project team is wrapping up final works at the facility including final tiling, joint sealant, and pool cleaning. Once this is complete, there will be a two week period to allow the works to cure before the pool can be refilled. 

The pool plant will then need to be recommissioned before it goes through system and plant cycling prior to reopening, to ensure the pool functions correctly. 

During this time, other minor maintenance projects will be completed throughout the pool grounds including footpath repairs, amenity building roof works and fencing around the toddler pool. 

We would like to thank the community for their patience while work has taken place. This project has been a significant undertaking and we are pleased to reopen this facility in time for the warmer weather. 

East Maitland Aquatic Centre is unlikely to reopen before the end of the current season with Council’s project team and the contractor uncovering additional issues that will prolong works at the site.

The team have found larger issues with the pool bed and plant room, including deterioration to the pool structure that requires repairs before joint and tile repairs, additional areas of damaged tile bed, pump reconditioning and plant room commissioning.

This means that the pool is unlikely to reopen prior to its scheduled seasonal shutdown between April and September.

Council remains committed to reopening for the 2023/24 summer season and beyond, and will continue to work over the usual winter closure period to bring the pool back up to scratch.

In the last fortnight, work at the site has continued at pace, completing tasks like:

• Removal of all damaged tiling and tile bedding
• Removal of the existing 190m of expansion joint sealant and backing rods
• Localised dewatering of the pool
• Excavation and preliminary works associated with the hydrostatic relief valves
• Joint cleaning ready for the new expansion joint preparation and installation

Despite the issues at East Maitland, it has been fantastic to see a positive and cooperative response from schools across Maitland, as we’ve worked together to ensure that swimming carnivals can go ahead as planned.

As we move into February, schools take centre stage at our local pools with swimming carnivals throughout the month and into March. In 2023, Maitland Aquatic Centre will host 43 carnivals in February and March, with plenty more to come later in the year.

The Aquatics team have worked to provide morning and afternoon slots to each school, and assistance to all schools (if required) to run their carnivals.

East Maitland Swim Club and East Maitland Squad are two key groups that have found themselves relocated to Maitland Aquatic Centre following the closure of the Narang Street pool.

Council officers who have worked with the groups to find an interim solution have been blown away by the understanding and cooperative nature of these groups and would like to thank the Swim Club and Squad from East Maitland.

Demolition of the slab at the bottom of the pool at East Maitland Aquatic Centre has started as work continues on crucial repairs at the site. 

It follows months of work undertaken by Council officers on preparatory tasks to facilitate and expedite the repairs.

As reported back in September, investigations at the facility revealed several major issues over the winter months of 2022, including failing pool expansion joints resulting in substantial water loss, impeded slab movement resulting in ‘tenting’ of the tile bed, and various compliance defects.

Repairs include the installation of core holes to relieve pressure, reinstating all pool expansions joints, applying backing rod and sealant to the tile bed and structural shell, remove of tiles and retiling of joints, repair of failed tiles areas, and installation of hydrostatic valves within the pool base.

Prior to these demolition works getting underway, Maitland City Council crews have completed a range of tasks to ready the facility for repairs, including:

• Consultation with our specialist pool structural engineers to lock in the repair methodology

• Development of a detailed design for the repair works

• Installing underwater core holes in the base of the pool to relieve pressure during the emptying process 

• Emptying the pool and regular monitoring of the ground water levels 

• Water sampling to determine if ground water was suitable to discharge directly to stormwater, with onsite treatment possible 

Council will provide the community with regular updates as the repairs continue. 

Maitland City Council has set aside nearly half a million dollars to carry out emergency repairs and upgrades at East Maitland Aquatic Centre, following a decision at Tuesday night’s Council meeting.

The works, set to start after an expedited selected tender process, are a short term repair of the pool structure and tile bed to prevent water loss. This will allow the centre to reopen for the second half of the 2022/23 season.

Investigations at the facility revealed several major issues over the winter months of 2022, including failing pool expansion joints resulting in substantial water loss, impeded slab movement resulting in ‘tenting’ of the tile bed, and various compliance defects.

Repairs include the installation of core holes to relieve pressure, reinstating all pool expansions joints, applying backing rod and sealant to the tile bed and structural shell, remove of tiles and retiling of joints, repair of failed tiles areas, and installation of hydrostatic valves within the pool base.

Read more here.

Maitland City Council can confirm that East Maitland Aquatic Centre will not reopen in 2022 due to significant structural damage to the main pool at the facility.

Major issues began to present themselves at the start of the year, with tile bed lifting in January prompting engineering investigations throughout the first half of the year.

Engineering reports found structural failures were causing substantial water loss into the ground, with the tile bed ‘tenting’ throughout the pool and various compliance defects.

Several repair options are being considered, with a report to Council on Tuesday 27 September set to provide details regarding the scope of repair works, associated costs, and timelines.

Read more here. 

The estimated cost of the repairs is around $500,000. That's broken down into roughly $376,000 for repairs, and roughly $120,000 for dewatering (emptying the pool). 

Investigations at the facility revealed several major issues over the winter months of 2022, including failing pool expansion joints resulting in substantial water loss, impeded slab movement resulting in ‘tenting’ of the tile bed, and various compliance defects.

Repairs include the installation of core holes to relieve pressure, reinstating all pool expansions joints, applying backing rod and sealant to the tile bed and structural shell, remove of tiles and retiling of joints, repair of failed tiles areas, and installation of hydrostatic valves within the pool base.

The repairs required to the pool at East Maitland are highly specialised and as a result, the pool of potential contractors who can undertake these works is relatively small, however works have been ongoing between Council officers and the preferred contractor since late 2022. 

Council is doing all we can to expedite, and are currently in the demolition phase of the project which will determine the exact scope of works required once complete. At that time, we'll be able to update the community on dates around the finish of works and reopening of the facility. 

The immediate priority is completing these repair works and reopening the centre to the community as soon as possible. Council officers are currently reviewing our Aquatics Strategy, which will inform the future of aquatics facilities across Maitland. 

East Maitland Swim Club have been relocated to Maitland Aquatic Centre, and we'd like to thank the East Maitland Swim Club and their members for their collaborative and positive approach.

We've been working with schools that normally book East Maitland Aquatic Centre for carnivals in the first few months of the year, and we've been able to confirm new dates for their carnivals at Maitland.