Camille: $8.5m to upgrade Hilton pool worth it

SOME $8.5 million was spent to upgrade the Hilton Trinidad swimming pool, but it is worth it and was necessary, Planning Minister Camille Robinson-Regis told the House of Representatives yesterday, replying to a question by Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial posed to an absent Trade Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon.

Robinson-Regis said the old pool was built 50 years ago and was cracked and leaking. The deck was aged and outdated, with an uneven surface that caused that pooling of water and the growth of mould and mildew. The deck also had structural failure. The cast iron plumbing and piping were aged, rusted and corroded, while the drainage was bad. The pumps, valves and filters were aged and inefficient, while the lighting was limited.

Robinson-Regis said the refurbishment saw the pool being re-shaped and its depth reduced from the original maximum depth of 16 feet. It is now divided into a jacuzzi, adults pool and children’s pool, she said. A new deck was built shaped like a steel-pan, and coloured LED lighting and an audio system were also installed. The minister said that instead of water treatment using chlorine, salt is used, which is gentler on the eyes, safer in store and lesser in amount needed for use. The cost was $7.618 million excluding VAT, or $8.571 million including VAT. Asked the projected lifespan of the new pool, the minister quipped, “My pool expertise is quite limited. I cannot say.”