Project update - July 2023
Here's the latest update
Site activites:
Huge progress on the formation of the pool structures has been made in the last month. The base of the learner pool is complete, and we only have 4 more concrete pours left to form the pool walls. For the main pool, we will be pouring the last section of the base week commencing 03.07.2023 and will then continue to install the pool walls. We have also completed the prep work to commence pouring sections of the ground floor slab. In other areas of the site, we have installed a large back wash tank underground and commenced work to the pool pump pit, these items form part of the pool filtration system. Demolition of the former school buildings has now started, the sports hall has been removed, and we are now working our way through the main block.
Community Engagement
The 26th to 30th June saw Morgan Sindall’s Northern Home Counties 4th annual Neighbourhood Week. During this week, the teams at all our sites and our regional office volunteer their time and give back to the communities where our projects are based. This year, the Houghton Regis Community and Leisure Centre site team chose 2 projects to volunteer for. The first project was to clear Himalayan Balsam from a section of Houghton Brook. Himalayan Balsam is an invasive species of plant, which overpowers the native plant species which in turn reduces the natural habitat for the native animals.
The site team also spent two days painting the Pavilion on the Village Green in Houghton Regis. The outside of the Pavilion needed a refresh and our team were happy to oblige. The walls and metal grills all got a fresh coat of paint, and the facias and soffit panels were all washed down.
In addition to the all of the volunteering work, we also managed to secure the donation of a freezer for the Dunstable Food Bank thanks to our supply chain.
The freezer will be installed at the Houghton Regis Baptist Church and will be a valued addition to the Food Bank.
On the 13th June, our Year Out student, Marcus Captieux, attended Queen Elizabeth School in Luton to carry out a presentation about the construction of the new Leisure Centre building and to discuss the various routes into careers in construction. During his school visit, Marcus set the students a task of designing their own leisure centre. The same group of students then visited the site later that week. They were taken on a site tour and got to present their leisure designs to the site management.
The site also had its first visit from the Considerate Constructor Scheme on the 31st May 2023 and we are pleased to announced the site achieved a score of 43/45. We were also awarded an extra collaboration mark for our on-site dewatering strategy.
Upcoming Work
In the next 4 weeks we will be completing the pool structures and will be able to commence the pool testing. We will also have 50% of the ground floor slabs poured and will be just about to commence the erection of the structural steel work. All the existing buildings will be demolished and work to take out the existing school floor slabs will have commenced.