Pumping relief at last for Stadium Pool

After two years of delays and temporary fixtures, Aquatic Sports Association of Jamaica president Martin Lyn says that the 50m pool at the National Aquatic Centre (NAC) will have the permanent fix that they desire with the installation of the new pumping system.

Work began on replacing the old system days ago with the equipment reaching the island after numerous delays. The association submitted a request for financial assistance in November 2020 after the pumping system broke down. The Sports Development Foundation (SDF) lent assistance to complete temporary repairs but the scheduled replacement of the pumps in June of 2021 was delayed because of funding issues.

Lyn said that the installation required an overhaul of sorts with the old system in place five decades prior before the new pumps could be installed.

“We had some technical difficulties because of the vintage of the pumps that were there. In addition to the fact that there were installed almost 50 years ago, the connections and what they called butterfly valves, reducers and things like that have just not been available. We had to do some massaging to get the right connections and eventually some of those connections were not even viable,” Lyn told The Gleaner. “So we had to redesign some of the systems. So that’s what took the time really to get us to the point now where we are finally actually installing the new pumps.”

In a Gleaner interview in 2021, SDF general manager Denzil Wilks estimated the replacement system would cost $2 million. Lyn said in an interview with The Gleaner on December 25 that the pump replacement cost was valued at $24 million. With the project now close to completion, Lyn hopes the injection will ease the maintenance costs burden of the association which is estimated to be $1 million per month.

“Going forward what is going to happen with the new pumps the filtration system which is also fairly new will function much better, the pumping system will now be able to pump better, faster and more economically. In so doing, it will reduce our maintenance upkeep of the pool dramatically and will put us in a much better position to use some of the funds that we would normally use to maintain the facility to hopefully build up other areas of the ASAJ as needs be,” Lyn said.

Additionally, Lyn said that the new system will be able to maintain the high standards required by the Ministry of Health & Wellness regarding pool upkeep and for smoother operations of the NAC.

“The new system will be much more environmentally friendly and much better in keeping with Ministry of Health guidelines which are above normal anyway for the maintenance of the pool, the quality of the water and so forth. So we are very pleased with where we are today and we look forward to starting the new year with new pumps and therefore a better running of the facility.

The replacement comes as Jamaica is preparing to host the Goodwill Swim Meet this year after the original hosts Guyana were unable to do so because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

daniel.wheeler@wheeler@gleanerjm.com