With construction of the government’s new central library set to start, the adjacent Estoril Swimming pool will close from Saturday until further notice, the Sports Bureau (ID) announced in a statement yesterday.
The Estoril Swimming Pool is officially known as San Fa Yuen (“New Garden”) in Cantonese.
The statement said that the construction contract of the new central library project has already been awarded by the Public Works Bureau (DSOP). The work will include demolition, pile foundation and basement work, the statement said.
The statement underlined that the decision to close the swimming pool has been made to ensure the health and safety of members of the public given that the pool is located adjacent to the construction site.
The Public Works Bureau announced in March that the government’s new central library project will be carried out in two phases, with the first phase to demolish the derelict Hotel Estoril, which is located next to Estoril Swimming Pool, and then carry out the new library building’s pile foundation and basement work.
The Public Works Bureau launched a tender by invitation when it asked seven construction companies to bid for the library project’s first phase. All seven companies submitted their respective bids, which were unsealed by DSOP officials on March 18 this year, according to the DSOP website.
According to DSOP announcements in March, the quotations proposed by the seven bidders ranged from 69.78 million patacas to 89.98 million patacas.
The DSOP website notes that the Public Works Bureau has now chosen and commissioned the winning bidder for the central library project’s first phase. Ming Shun Construction and Property Investment Limited, which offered the lowest price – 69.78 million patacas– has been chosen as the contractor.
Recent DSOP announcements on its website mean that the new central library project will finally get off the ground in the near future.
After the first phase’s completion, the library project’s second phase, namely superstructure work, will start, for which the government is yet to launch a tender.
Yesterday’s ID statement also said that improvement works to the swimming pool will also be carried out during its closure, aiming to better meet swimmers’ needs.
The statement underlined that members of the public can still use other swimming pools managed by the bureau during the pool’s temporary closure. More details on the bureau’s swimming pools and their opening hours, along with on-the-spot ticket information, are available on https://booking.sport.gov.mo/pool/zh/booking/mapa/today.
Meanwhile, information about the bureau’s other sport facilities can be found on www.sport.gov.mo, while one can call 2823 6363 for enquiries.
This undated photo downloaded from the Sports Bureau’s (ID) website last night shows the entrance to Estoril Swimming Pool, commonly known as San Fa Yuen, on Estrada da Vitória.
