At first it was just the floor. Now it is a total renovation. “In the end, we received one terrible news after another,” said Zuchwil mayor Patrick Marti. The floor, which was newly laid three years ago, had hidden construction defects, which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be a total write-off. In addition, there are leaky joints in the ceiling area of the facility, which have caused additional damage in other places.
Community has no other choice
An initial cost estimate assumed costs of 455,000 francs and a maximum of three months of construction time. This has now turned into five months and 905,000 francs. The additional amount of 450,000 francs must now be approved by the municipal council at the meeting on Thursday, August 22, 2024. Marti is not particularly worried about this, however. “The alternative would be that we close the sauna park.” But it is precisely this area that makes an important contribution to the profitability of the entire sports center. “We have to bite the bullet and approve this loan.”
Part of the money comes back from insurance
It is not yet possible to say exactly what the final bill will look like. But one thing is clear: the damage caused by the construction defects in the floor must be covered by the construction companies’ liability insurance, the mayor is convinced. That would be at least half of the total amount, probably more. The damage caused by the leaky joints in the roof would in turn be partially covered by the company’s own insurance. In the end, the municipality will probably get off lightly financially – albeit a painful one.
No sauna park at the start of the winter season
The main season in the wellness area begins in October, but the renovation work is expected to last until the beginning of November. “The operational downtime and the lost money are one thing, and they are also insured, but the customers who cannot be served are another. That is something we are very upset about.” The sports center therefore wants to offer shortened and discounted subscriptions for the winter season so as not to lose regular guests to the competition (in Herzogenbuchsee and Schönbühl).
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