LIKE any new facility, the Shoalhaven Indoor Sports Centre is going through some teething problems.
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In recent weeks there have been reports of the $16.4 million complex in Bomaderry "springing leaks" during a basketball tournament and an earlier "flooding incident which damaged floors."
Project manager and Shoalhaven City Council acting Building Services manager Gary George said all new complexes go through settling in periods.
"We did suffer some water ingress to the western end of the complex during significant downpour earlier this year," he said.
"It really was a significant rain event and the uneven level of Artie Smith Oval, where there is a major fall from west to east in the oval's playing surface, saw increased run off from the oval.
"We had constructed a significant swale to the west of the complex, to direct water away from the facility, but we received such a large amount of rain in such a short period that the water overtopped the swale.
"There were two low points in the construction and the water managed to breach those and did gain access into the complex."
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Mr George said the water did make it into the area that houses courts two, three and four, however there was "no major" damage.
"We have since gone back and reconstructed the swale, making it 500mm higher and then returfed, which should alleviate the problem," he said.
"We also increased the sizes of the drainage pits which will also work to capture excess stormwater into the system."
Mr George said the wooden floor surface had since dried out and would be resealed as "part of the annual maintenance activities" which are planned for soon after the Easter break.
He said the possible cause of leaks,in the court two, three and four areas has been identified with the clear roof sheeting which is set to replaced by a "more rigid" product, while still "allowing for the natural light".
"Sure it would be better if these things never happened, but at least by then happening we have discovered the issues and been able to rectify any problems," Mr George said.
"They are also under the building defect time period and can be referred back to the construction company."
Officially opened in November 2019, the complex was a finalists in two categories the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) NSW Crown Group Awards for Excellence in Urban Development 2020.
Some interior walls in courts two, three and four have also suffered damage since the opening, with balls from the indoor soccer competition, puncturing the gyprock, while in another incident a player actually shoulder charged one of the walls, leaving a large hole..
"The internal gyprock we used was impact board as specified on the design," Mr George said.
"We used the toughest gyprock available, but we are now looking into retrofitting the back wall with Fir Ply, an internal lining product, which will hopefully alleviate such problems."
Question also remain about the future of the former Bomaderry Basketball Stadium, adjacent to the new indoor complex, with the facility, affectionately known as the Tigers Den, which was to be refurbished as part of the overall indoor complex, remaining closed for use.
Council has undertaken a functional review of the stadium to assess whether the facility was compliant and would meet future community sporting needs.
The review found the building to be non-compliant in many aspects and as a result was closed for safety reasons until upgrade works, including the replacement of external cladding, guttering and downpipes, removal of hazardous materials (asbestos) and improvements to accessibility, could be completed
Council staff are in the process of conducting technical investigations to support a development application, with assessments expected to be completed by the end of this financial year.
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