Scale of £10m DG One repairs revealed

The full extent of the repairs needed at the region’s flagship leisure centre have been set out in a notice stating that a contractor has been appointed.
A document on the Public Contracts Scotland website said: “This project is to remediate defects inside and externally on the newly built DG One leisure complex in the centre of Dumfries.
“It opened after construction in 2008, and since then has been impacted by numerous issues, including serious pool leakage and excessive heat loss.”
It added: “Dumfries and Galloway Council require a contractor to undertake construction works to rectify existing defects in DG One.
“The main works include replacement of all roof areas, extensive replacement of external cladding and brickwork, installing a damp proof course, pools to be re-tanked, all pool side screeds and tiling replaced, replacement ceiling grids in wet changes, installation of fire/temperature partitioning between dry and wet sides throughout.”
McLaughlin & Harvey Construction Limited have now been officially appointed as main contractors on the project, which is set to move forward after Dumfries and Galloway Council reached a settlement with construction firm Kier Construction Ltd.
Details of the settlement have not been disclosed, or the amount of money that the local authority will need to contribute to the works.
However, the document confirms the costs of the works at Hoods Loaning in Dumfries at £9,985,685 excluding VAT.
The document said: “It is anticipated that the appointed main contractor will sub-contract specialist elements of this contract such as groundworks and external works, roofing and cladding, partitions and ceilings, mechanical and electrical and interiors and finishes.”
DG One has been closed since October 2014.
Reacting to the scale of works required, Councillor Graham Bell said: “Obviously this is not cosmetic surgery – this is major surgery for a flagship building that Dumfries and Galloway Council built.”
Councillor Bell is hopeful that the works will see the building put right, but he added: “I just hope that McLaughlin & Harvey do employ some local tradespeople, because at the end of the day we need to support our local economy.”