The long-delayed Blairgowrie Recreation Centre could finally be just weeks away from opening.
Council bosses say the leaking swimming pool has now been filled with water.
And they are hopeful they might be able to take delivery of the £36 million venue in the middle of July.
It could still take up to two weeks for Live Active Leisure employees to transfer from the existing centre to the new one, however.
And that could leave Blairgowrie with no recreation centre in the middle of the school holidays.
Stephen Crawford, Perth and Kinross Council’s head of property services, was pressed on the timing at a meeting on Wednesday.
He said staff would make every effort to minimise disruption for families.
Will Blairgowrie Recreation Centre be worth the wait?
The new Blairgowrie Recreation Centre will replace the existing 40-year-old venue on the campus of Blairgowrie High School.
It will feature a swimming pool, four-court sports hall, gymnasium, fitness suite, dance studio and external artificial sports pitch.
However, issues with the pool have been blamed for a series of setbacks.
The centre had been due to open to the public in the spring.
But that was postponed in January after a leak was discovered in the swimming pool.
Another leak led to a further delay in April.
The problem was traced to an area around the movable floor equipment in the pool.
The launch was already several years behind schedule by that point.
Perth and Kinross Council had originally intended to open a replacement Blairgowrie Recreation Centre in 2020.
Blairgowrie pool ‘a complex design’
Councillors were given an update when the finance committee met on Wednesday.
Mr Crawford said: “The pool is now full and we are working through commissioning the centre, hopefully to get a handover in mid-July.”
Bailie Claire McLaren asked if that would mean a shutdown in the middle of the school holidays.
Mr Crawford said council bosses had originally envisaged a two-week break for staff transfer and training.
“We will try to make any period of non-delivery of service as short as possible,” he added.
Speaking in April, Paul Carle, construction director with BAM UK and Ireland, said he was “disappointed” that the handover to the council had been delayed again.
“The pool is a complex design,” he said.
“And we have been working with specialist contractors to deliver it.
“Unfortunately, there have been technical issues and it’s right that we take time to correct these before it opens to the public.”
The old Blairgowrie Recreation Centre will be demolished after the new one opens.
Conversation