The modern $25 million facility has suffered a number of delays with the delivery of materials, the need for extra roof works which was not picked up until the demolition stage and the impact of social distancing.
Despite completion of 80 per cent of the work, Whittlesea CEO Joe Carbone said the tasks remaining will involve additional time to finish which is not uncommon in such substantial redevelopment projects as Mill Park Leisure. He added:
“While there are significant cost savings that come with redeveloping existing facilities, they still need to meet current day standards in every way."
He said the roof issue, which involved greatly deteriorated roof sheeting/ceiling insulation and skylight in the pool hall, was not the first challenge workers encountered as earlier there had been a larger than expected rock outcrop in the site's ground which took time to take out.
Mr Carbone said the repair work will require replacement of the roof and is expected to lengthen the completion schedule by about eight weeks.
Flyer printing is often undertaken to alert residents when facilities such as this are once again open for business.
Mill Park Leisure will offer a range of activities including fitness rooms, gym spaces and new pools with the new completion date set for the summer season of 2020/21.