Comments on: Sports Minister Updates On Aquatics Centre

By: OBA: “Aquatics Centre Promise Not Been Met” | Bernews.com

OBA: “Aquatics Centre Promise Not Been Met” | Bernews.com — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:14:05 +0000

[...] aquatic fitness classes, lap swimming, rehabilitation services and more.Mr Francis said: “The announcement yesterday by Government Sports Minister Glenn Blakeney that the much-awaited Aquatics Centre being built on the concourse of the National Sports Centre [...]

By: Mad Dawg

Mad Dawg — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 01:21:00 +0000

And not the $15m and June 2012 when the project was started.

By: OlympicSwimmer

OlympicSwimmer — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:18:38 +0000

@small fry – you must be involved with swimming. I think anyone who knows swimming knows that this pool can only be used for training and low level short course competitions. It can be used for long course competition but nothing above club level. The simple fact that a swim judge can not walk along the whole side of one pool creates a problem.
Also – Im not sure what Bermuda tourism knows about sports tourism and swimming/diving sports tourism but what I know is that all Colleges/High schools want to train Long-course. Most colleges also travel with their divers who will need to train at similar times as their swimmers. What is Bermuda going to provide for them that the International Hall of Fame in Florida can’t. The hall of fame has three pools and one of them has a separate diving well so that all athletes can train at the same time without any deliberation on space. Our athletes will only be able to train Short course meters while the divers use the other end. I have spent whole seasons swimming in indoor pools with deep diving wells and I know how COLD it gets. Wont be very pleasant to be a diver in the winter.
Despite the problems and the budget overrun it is a step in the right direction. A small step which may be more problematic down the road through mis-management. It will help the SWIM training of the Bermuda athletes but there is much more to swimming than just having a 50m pool.

By: Really??

Really?? — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:02:13 +0000

Ah, you are mistaken. The track is open to the general public from 12:00 to 1:30 during the day and from 7:00 to closing (Between 8:00 and 9:00) They ask that you respect the BTFA who train until 7:00. The problem was that members of the public got in the way of the athletes training. After 7:00 the track is free to use. If you want to train before 7:00 you can use the track going around the cricket field as many people do.

By: Real Talk (original)

Real Talk (original) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:32:06 +0000

Members of the general public are not permitted to train at the track, only individuals who I believe are registered with the BTFA.

By: Really??

Really?? — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:25:01 +0000

You people are so daft. People train up the running track every evening. Obviously you two don’t go there or you would see people training on both the south and north field and you wouldn’t make such loud strong and wrong comments. Get your facts straight.

By: Small fry

Small fry — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:53:05 +0000

Dont see any Bermudian construction workers there. All designed, project managed and built by foreigners. Good job PLP! Does not comply with FINA standards because they would not listen to BASA who recommended Myrtha pools http://www.myrthapools.com/ which would have saved millions of tax payers money and complied with Int’l standards…. Can’t be used for CARIFTA GAMES or any other international swim or dive competition…I guess waterpolo & diving will be added to school curriculum along with football, netball, cricket, basketball, softball, field hockey, cross country, track & field, swimming, cycling, sailing, triathlon, golf, tennis, roller hockey, squash, rugby, badminton…did I miss anything?

By: Nitty Gritty

Nitty Gritty — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:42:40 +0000

At least I saw a guy with a hose in there looking like he was getting a start on filling her up. You extrapolate how long to completion from dat dere.

By: Nitty Gritty

Nitty Gritty — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:38:37 +0000

and he had to read what he said word for word as if he was a junior politician covering for the Minister who was away in Mongolia at a table tennis conference.

By: Standing Wrong for Bermudians

Standing Wrong for Bermudians — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:30:47 +0000

So should not a new “gombey gumment” do better than what was done before?
Maybe you have never had to use the portable toilets that was for the Track – holes in the floor and ceilings? And you think this is acceptable for International events.

Try finding out what this disaster cost?

Crap even Jamaica’s sports centre was better than the NSC. Yes even they had a 10x50M pool to hold International events!!

The BASA proposal was 3 pools(all Internationaly recognized and used Worldwide), toilets etc. all for $15M so who is screwing who? Yet again the Bermudian Public!!!!

By: argosy

argosy — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:06:05 +0000

Here we go…..the UBP did it.

Please, give it up! You guys are parrots….

And by the way, what “airport” do you mean that “the UBP built”? Our “airport” was built by US taxpayers….if you mean our Air Terminal building….it has always had bathrooms. Perhaps it didn’t have any in 1947….is that what you mean? When the UBP built it?

Run on your own record – not the other guys!

And….stop complaining. Have a nice day!

By: Kim Smith

Kim Smith — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:54:12 +0000

@Sooo… can you tell me where I find details on these protocols?

By: Stop Complaining for 1 sec

Stop Complaining for 1 sec — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:19:08 +0000

@ Standing Wrong for Bermudians
You are joking right.
Where are the bathrooms? Shouldnt you be asking the UBP that. Wasnt it the UBP who built the Airport with NO and i mean NO bathrooms.
Wasnt it the UBP that built the first phase of the National Stadium without ANY changing rooms and i REPEAT NO changing rooms

So its a craapy facility because they DIDNT go with the design supplied by the BSA.

Its Christmas season, so please go fah lala lala

By: Mad Dawg

Mad Dawg — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 10:24:38 +0000

He’s just lying. Complete lies. The original budget was $15m, and the completion date was June 2012.

They can’t even build a swimming pool without screwing it up and lying about it.

By: Standing Wrong for Bermudians

Standing Wrong for Bermudians — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 08:45:34 +0000

Please ask the Minister and the Trustees where are the bathrooms for $15-19M? For this price we get portable bathrooms?? Where is the warm up pool for competitive swimming? Where is the extra 2 lanes to be able to hold swimming competitions i.e. Carifta, Masters etc. etc.(They did not build a short soccer pitch or a 4 lane running track)

Oh sorry this pool is for all to enjoy. (just cannot wait to see who uses this facility in the middle of winter in January – sure will not be the “all” the Minister is talking about.

The dive stand was not featured in the initial build and then Katura was selected to be a National Sports Centre Trustee and then all of a sudden – wham the dive stand is being built???

Both the Minister and the Trustees should be sacked for giving Bermuda such a crap Aquatics facility.

Bermuda Swimming Association should build their own pool and leave the BNSC pool for a duck pond.

By: Your joking

Your joking — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 06:04:57 +0000

http://bernews.com/2011/11/aquatic-centre-to-be-completed-in-2012
Minister states will be done and under budget by September 2012…so we are already 3 months late and creeping to 20 mill….not the 18-19 mill stated last year

By: Soooooo

Soooooo — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 02:14:32 +0000

And …. When was the last time you saw real competition OUTSIDE?

By: Spanky

Spanky — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 02:03:42 +0000

I wonder what the operational costs will be to run this pool year round. The Belco bill alone must in in the tens of thousands a month. I sure hope someone has done the math. And can someone answer this nagging rumor that this brand new pool does not have enough lanes to host an international event… Like the Cariffta Games?

By: Opressed

Opressed — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 01:40:35 +0000

Okay, lets see, it’s the end of November, this joker is standing in front of an empty pool, while some guy staggers around inside said empty pool, and the press confrence is for?????

Oh, BTW, where exactly is the warm up pool that’s used by athletes prior to an event in the main pool???

By: Really

Really — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 01:05:09 +0000

Another white elephant is built!

By: Rick Rock

Rick Rock — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 00:56:56 +0000

It was supposed to be all completed by June 2012, for $15m. Now it’s some time in 2013, for $19m+ (they aren’t telling how much any more).

And you’re happy with it being less than 3/4 completed.

Quite an election slogan….”If you vote PLP they will do a few of the things they promise for much more money than they said”.

By: Triangle Drifter

Triangle Drifter — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 00:18:23 +0000

Is any better expected of him?

By: Soooooo

Soooooo — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 00:16:48 +0000

But it’s not finished!,,,, the man is a fool…

By: Soooooo

Soooooo — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 23:49:39 +0000

@kim… There is much that shouldn’t be going on, once government has been disolved things change and the Government becomes a caretaker; meaning they don’t do anything except keep things ticking over. All ministers lose all “privilege” and revert tp private citizens.

There are protocols that should be followed (none of which seen to be) wonder if government even knows what they “should do”… But rules have never meant anything to them!!

By: Ringmaster

Ringmaster — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 23:30:52 +0000

On VSB TV tonight Minister Blakeney said it had been completed on budget at $20 million. No mention of the original estimate of $15 million. Sounds like the Minister wasn’t been exactly truthful.

By: Stop Complaining for 1 sec

Stop Complaining for 1 sec — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 21:25:18 +0000

@ Joonya
So what do we make or sell? Most countries in the civilised world borrow money for projects.
Duh…………………

By: Hey

Hey — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 20:54:07 +0000

Everyone has been booted out of the running track…nightmare.

When is the pool opening, I couldn’t see it .

By: No problem

No problem — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 20:27:05 +0000

“Minister Blakeney said: “Whilst I expect that competitive swimmers will welcome the opportunity to use this marvelous facility, it is very important to emphasize that it is not intended that it become exclusively the domain of elite athletes.”

Oh yeah, like the running track right next door?

By: Your joking

Your joking — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 19:31:55 +0000

And can’t wait to see the probably ridiculous price they charge clubs,people and events to use the pool….so it will probably sit empty most of they year……I hope not

By: Joonya

Joonya — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 19:12:22 +0000

Thats because they sure know how to borrow & spend, borrow & spend, borrow & spend…… dont they.

By: Kim Smith

Kim Smith — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 19:06:35 +0000

@Sooo – you make a very good suggestion and one that I think might be worthy of pursuing.

By: Zombie Apocalypse

Zombie Apocalypse — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:44:49 +0000

The original budget was $15m, and the completion date was June 2012.

Let’s see how late and over-budget it is.

In November 2011 they started talking about completion in November 2012, at a cost of $19m.

Now they give vague ‘early next year’ and no comment at all on cost. It’s obvious why. Another insider has been made rich, no doubt.

By: Stop Complaining for 1 sec

Stop Complaining for 1 sec — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:34:45 +0000

@ Triangle Drifter,
At least under the PLP, 3/4 of Bermuda’s National Stadium is or will be completed.

By: Soooo

Soooo — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:19:40 +0000

During the period between dissolution and polling day, however, the Government should suspend any advertising campaigns and refrains from major policy decisions or announcements.

This was known as ‘purdah’ but is now usually called the pre-election period.

Funny how there is so much “activity” when there shouldn’t be… .

By: Triangle Drifter

Triangle Drifter — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:12:33 +0000

How many more grand announcements will be made before this facility is finally finished? How over budget & how many years is it overdue.

Nothing to puff up the chest & be proud of here.