Minister yet again promises Gozo pool ‘ready soon’ after four-year delay

Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri has once again suggested that a few more weeks of delays are needed to open the long-awaited Gozo Aquatic Centre, which includes an Olympic-sized pool that was initially set to open in 2021.

In a recent appearance on TVM News, Camilleri promised that the pool would open sometime this summer, stating that only a few more steps were required to make this “dream” a reality. To demonstrate progress, he also featured a picture of the pool on his social media landing page.

Camilleri’s most recent commitment was to open the pool by this summer. However, the Gozo Minister has now announced that the opening will be delayed by a few more weeks and will occur gradually, in phases. No further details were provided.

It is still unclear who will manage the pool once it finally opens its doors. A tender was supposed to be issued for the management of this multi-million-euro facility, but this has not yet occurred. Sources have indicated that the Minister is now considering administering the facility through a newly established government company called Projects Gozo Ltd.

The Gozo pool saga has been ongoing since 2017 and involves replacing a sports centre in Victoria with a swimming pool. Budgeted initially at around €10 million, the costs have nearly doubled, and the final cost remains unknown.

Gozoan rogue developer Joseph Portelli, along with a company owned by Charles Polidano, iċ-Caqnu, was responsible for the pool project that experienced significant delays and heavy cost overruns. It is unclear whether the Gozo Ministry has imposed any fines on the contractors for these delays.

Former Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana initiated the project. However, by the time Minister Clint Camilleri succeeded her, there had been little to no progress despite millions already spent on excavations and designs. In March 2024, Camilleri announced that the pool was ready and had entered the testing stage. However, testing is still ongoing more than a year later.