A GLIMMER of hope has been offered to users of the Dolphin Swimming Pool with news that the gym in the pool building is due to reopen on Monday.

An electrical fire that blacked out the leisure complex in July has kept it shut for more than two months.

With the reopening date pushed back repeatedly, the future of the centre – run by operator SLM on behalf of Poole council – has been shrouded in uncertainty.

But signs have appeared in the Dolphin’s windows this week announcing the fitness suite and exercise studio will open again from Monday.

There is still no news on when the swimming pool will be back in use, however, and its reopening date looks to be some weeks off, late November at the earliest.

David Greenwood, contracts manager for SLM, said: “We are still working towards having the pool reopened in the near future and will be making additional announcements about the opening date.”

Cllr Peter Adams, the council’s portfolio holder for leisure, thanked the centre’s users for their “patience and understanding” during the closure.

It is understood the partial repair has bought most of the Dolphin’s electrics back online, allowing the gym and studio to reopen to the public.

However, the part of the repair specific to the swimming pool’s heating system has yet to be commissioned and tested.

The delay in making the repairs has been down to the age of the Dolphin’s electrical system, installed when the centre was first built 30 years ago. As a result, bespoke components have had to be commissioned and built for the repairs.

Poole council has insisted the cost of repairs and loss of income from the closure has been covered by insurance.

But any refund on the £400,000 the council pays SLM to run Poole’s three main leisure centres is unlikely as the fire and subsequent problems were deemed “unforeseen” and not down to negligence.

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