Work set to begin on Palmo’s biggest ever construction project as $19.4m SWELL tender awarded

Work on Palmerston council’s biggest ever construction project is set to begin next month after the tender for the $19.4m venture was announced on Sunday.

WORK on Palmerston council’s biggest ever construction project is set to begin next month after the tender for the city’s $19.4m swimming and fitness centre upgrade was announced on Sunday.

Territory company Jaytex Constructions will start work on the new Swimming, Wellness, Events, Leisure and Lifestyle (SWELL) centre on August 20, with the project due for completion in November next year.

Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell said the existing Tilston Ave pool would close for the duration of construction, which would see refurbishment of the centre’s 50m pool as well as a brand new “two storey adventure playground”.

“This is the biggest construction project that the City of Palmerston has ever undertaken, so it is literally the largest project we have ever worked on,” she said.

An artist’s impression of the new facility. Picture: Supplied

“We have a great relationship with the Territory and Australian governments and without their support we couldn’t bring such a fantastic facility to the people of Palmerston.”

The Federal Government is chipping in $5m towards the project and the Territory Government $7.5m, and Infrastructure Minister and Local Member Eva Lawler said the current facility was due for a little TLC.

“I remember being pregnant and swimming here after work, doing some laps, and my daughter’s now 34 years old, so it’s been around for a long time but it is an asset that is well used by the Palmerston community,” she said.

“SWELL will be a positive addition to the growing family community of Palmerston, providing residents with a contemporary and family-friendly water and lifestyle precinct.

“This project is in line with Council’s and the Northern Territory Government’s priority in keeping our shared vision of Palmerston as a families city.”

Jaytex general manager Neil Daffen said he expected the works to create upwards of 100 local jobs during the life of the project.

“There’ll probably be a team of five, six people permanently based, and a local Territory subcontractor workforce of up to about 100 people,” he said.

“It’s a fun one, I have had my teams fighting over who gets to be involved in this one and we’re looking forward to it.”

Federal Member for Solomon Luke Gosling said the new facility would “add more value to the community and bring more people to Palmerston”.

“The Australian Government is proud to support these exciting projects for the Palmerston community and looks forward to providing ongoing support into the future,” he said.

The remaining $6.9m will be funded by the City of Palmerston.

Originally published as Work set to begin on Palmo’s biggest ever construction project as $19.4m SWELL tender awarded