8:40pm Tuesday 17th November 2009
By Catherine Pye
THE new £12.7million Darwen Leisure Centre will ‘blow people’s minds’ when it opens in two months, bosses claim.
Eighty workers are on site off Green Street, putting the finishing touches to a host of state-of-the-art facilities inside the three-storey com-plex which opens to the public on January 30.
Paul Gracey, team project manager said: “It’s a gem. It’s the most prestigious leisure centre of its type in the region and is unlike anything else going up in either the public or private sector. It will blow people’s minds.
“A lot of new buildings are ‘bake and shake’. They’re covered steel constructions that are meant to last 25 years and then come down, but this is nothing like that.
“This is made from quality materials that will last the distance: at least 50 years.”
Facilities have also been specially designed to be customer-friendly, and disa-bled user groups have been consulted about access iss-ues.
Materials fitted in the two swimming pool areas have been chosen to aid acoustics so that loud noises are dulled but low frequencies are carried, meaning swim-ming teachers do not have to shout.
The main swimming pool, which has eight-lanes and a moveable floor, can be used for competitions, and a video playback screen is about to be fitted.
More than £250,000 has been spent on gym equip-ment and large sauna, massage, aromatherapy areas are fitted into the changing room areas.
Mr Gracey added: “It’s important that we move away from the old image of what a council leisure centre is.
“This will facilitate more regeneration in Darwen and I think it will encourage people to move here as well as businesses.”
Colours used on the outside of the building have been specifically chosen to fit in with the town centre surroundings.
And local workers and materials have been used as much as possible in the construction, with bricks made in Rossendale and electricians from Clitheroe.
A pre-sales suite for membership enquiries opens on Monday at Darwen Lib-rary Theatre.
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