Scotland

A sports build to remember

GLENROTHES SPORTS

Work is progressing well on the new Michael Woods Sports and Leisure Centre in Glenrothes, Fife.

The £21 million centre was named in honour of a late former councillor from the Glenrothes area. Members of the Glenrothes Area Committee decided to dedicate the new Sports and Leisure Centre to Councillor Michael Woods after residents and users of the existing centre were invited to put forward their own suggestions for the new build.

Councillor Peter Grant explained: “Michael Woods played a major role in securing the future of the sports centre and for everyone who knew him and the new build will be an apt reminder of the immense contribution he made to Glenrothes and to Fife as a whole.”

The project started in May 2011 and is part of Fife Council’s wider investment plans in the enhancement of Sports and Leisure opportunities in Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline. The new facility will be operated and managed by the Fife Sports and Leisure Trust on behalf of Fife Council.

GLENROTHES SPORTS

Main contractor for the project is GRAHAM and the architect is Cre8 Architecture.

The Michael Woods Sports and Leisure Centre will host a range of exciting facilities, including a 25m x 17m eight-lane competition pool with a spectator gallery for 250 people. In addition, there will be a 20m x 10m training pool with movable flooring and an 11m x 5m teaching and remedial pool with an adjoining health suite. Dry-side facilities include a new larger scale gymnasium with 80 stations, a purpose-built aerobics studio, a badminton sports hall and two squash courts.

Outdoor facilities will be significantly enhanced by a full-size synthetic turf pitch, three football specific five-a-side and one seven-a-side 3G synthetic turf pitches and a tennis court. The existing athletics track will also be upgraded.

GLENROTHES SPORTS

Councillor Brian Goodall recently visited the site with Michael Graham, Chief Executive of GRAHAM Group. Speaking after the event, he said:

“It was great to be able to visit the site and see firsthand the work that has already been done. The first phase of the steel structure has now been built, which is a significant step for this project and shows that the new facility is really coming together.

“Added to the fact that such good progress is being made on the site, I was also delighted to meet with new recruits who have gained employment with GRAHAM through the Fife Works project.”

Edward Bill, Contracts Manager for GRAHAM Construction, added:

“The centre is really starting to take shape and the steel structure of the dry-side facility – which includes the sports hall and changing villages – is now in place. Precast floor slabs have been fitted on the first and second levels and the concrete swimming pool structure is complete.

GLENROTHES SPORTS

“The GRAHAM team is looking forward to installing the steel structure for the wet-side facility towards the end of this month before beginning construction of the roof and external building envelope in around six weeks’ time.”

The state-of-the-art centre is scheduled for completion in April 2013.

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