Virgin Active pool out of use for months
Air conditioning should be back at full capacity by mid-February.
MBOMBELA – Virgin Active’s local gym has been only semi-operational for months now, getting customers literally hot under
the collar.
The pool has been closed for use since December, because the windows have been declared unsafe due to damage after a storm. They have to be replaced. This was to be attended to in January, but now there is a sign up saying it will be closed “indefinitely”.
The air conditioners are apparently also not working properly. Since December 18, they have not been working at all, and for the past month only partially.
Customers, who pay between R300 and R1 160 in membership per month, are not satisfied with the service.
Carla White, spokesperson for Virgin Active, told Lowvelder that they do structural checks for health and safety reasons.
“Virgin Active Mbombela, where we are a tenant, required remedial work that was undertaken by the landlord in mid-2019.
“During a storm in December, the glass façade was damaged and a report revealed that the incorrect windows were installed.
“It was not safe to keep the pool operational, and therefore our decision was to temporarily close the facility.
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“A compulsory structural report and the builders holidays added unfortunate delays to the repair process.”
White confirmed that the work will be completed by the end of February and the pool deck will be reopened.
“We know that this is frustrating for our members, and we welcome members to get in touch if daily swimming was their only reason for using our facilities.”
White added that the air conditioning is currently running at 60 per cent capacity. “We are awaiting compressors to restore the aircon to full capacity. It is estimated that this work will be completed by mid-February.
“We know how uncomfortable a warm training environment can be. We have placed fans in the club as an interim measure and we ran an override on studio aircon and opened the doors to cool the training floor.
“If we ever deem a club as an unsafe training environment due to the internal temperature, we would close the facility. This has not been necessary,” she concluded.
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