Replacing broken boom in swimming pool would cost in excess of half a million euro

REPLACING the broken swimming pool boom in Tallaght Leisure Centre could cost in excess of €500,000, while there are plans for repair work to be carried out on the swimming pool in Clondalkin Leisure Centre.

According to South Dublin County Council, trying to repair the boom mechanism in the Tallaght swimming pool, instead of replacing it, would cost between €150,000 and €200,000.

A boom is a mechanical device which is used to divide swimming pools into areas, and the broken one has been negatively impacting local swimmers and clubs.

The swimming pool in Tallaght Leisure Centre was designed in two sections, with the boom mechanism allowing the pool to be split into a shallow eight-metre pool, alongside the larger pool.

For several years, the boom has been stuck in a permanent upright position, which has stopped 25m swims at the community facility in Jobstown.

At a recent council meeting, the local authority confirmed that the pool settings in Tallaght would be left “as they were” instead of paying the high costs for repair or replacement of the mechanism.

According to the council, pool maintenance experts “advised that the damage to the boom would incur considerable repair costs without any guarantee, and that the boom type is no longer being manufactured. A decision was taken to leave the pool settings as they were.”

There have also been issues with the boom in the pool in Clondalkin Leisure Centre, such as oil leaking into the pool tank in 2020 requiring replacement of four small hoses containing hydraulic fluid.

Getting the four hoses replaced turned out to be a protracted issue, as a specialist contractor was required to travel over from the UK to carry out the work, but was unable to do so until a later date as a result of the pandemic.

The council stated that following the work, and during subsequent testing of the boom, “it was found that small hydraulic control valves had become blocked by congealed fluid and had to be replaced.

“These parts are on order since August 2021 with a normal lead-in time of approximately 12 weeks, but this has also been affected by wider supply chain issues.

“The disruption and inconvenience to the facility users is of course regrettable but the parts are due to be delivered in the coming weeks and the contractor will ensure that they are installed as quickly as possible thereafter.”

The local authority added that there is provision in the council’s capital programme for upgrade work to the leisure centres in Clondalkin and Tallaght, and this will include an assessment of the issues outlined above in the context of the available budget.