Local children, trustees and supporters celebrated the exciting "topping out" stage of the new Dartmouth Indoor Pool in early March.
Dartmouth Indoor Pool Topping Out Party!
Over the years, many people in the audience have looked forward to this day which marks one more step towards having an indoor pool in the town. The Mayor of Dartmouth spoke of the enthusiasm within the community as they have watched the pool taking shape.
"There are people here who have contributed to the swimming pool fund over the last 50 years. For a coastal town, it is essential that people learn to swim and feel safe and confident, both working and taking part in activities on the river. We will soon be able to ensure that our young people get the opportunity to swim all year round. Dartmouth town is proud to be part of this development."
As the crowd watched, Sir Geoffrey Newman, Chair of the Trustees, cut the string which sent 3 dolphin balloons soaring up to the height of the top beam. At the same time, a group of pupils from Dartmouth Academy Year 5 released a number of Eco balloons, each with a message asking the finder to make contact so the students could track how far they had travelled.
Accompanied by Principal, Tina Graham, and Luke Payne, the school pupils are already excitedly thinking about their first swim, " "It will be so good for people who like swimming " said pupil, Mackenzie Fletcher. PE teacher Luke Payne pointed out that at present, pupils only get three hours swimming a term.
"The pool will allow us to enrich the curriculum. We aim for every pupil to be able to swim before they leave Primary School, but without a neighbourhood pool, this is really difficult. When the pool opens, everybody is going to benefit”
The funding for the build has been raised and the Pool Trustees are now collecting for the fitting out and start up. As Sir Geoffrey noted, "now people know that it is really happening and can see the pool taking shape, they are being very generous. This will ensure that our pool will be equipped to the very highest standard when it opens. People have offered to run events for us and help out in other ways. It is a real community effort and Dartmouth and the surrounding district should be very proud of what has been achieved."
Despite poor weather throughout the winter, the build has remained on schedule and the contractors, Kier Construction, are confident that the pool will open in late summer. Site Manager, Chris Jewell is very pleased that the Topping Out has happened and the crew can now move onto the internal works.
"It's at this stage that I start to see how the pool will look when it's completed. There is still a lot to do, but from now on, it is all about pulling everything together and providing a high quality finish inside and out. Last week we successfully tested for water-tightness, which is a major hurdle passed. "
After the ceremony, the guests went to the Leisure Centre, which had kindly opened its doors to host the event.