The latest addition to the pavilion comes just in time for summer, and is one of several exciting initiatives courtesy of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and the Friends of Sea Point Pavilion.
With summer in full swing, the Sea Point Promenade and swimming pool are bustling with activity.
The Recreation and Parks Department has over time built a fruitful relationship with the community, including registered NPO, The Friends of Sea Point Pavilion (FSPP).
The community plays an invaluable role in ensuring that public spaces are enjoyed responsibly and serve as helpful advocates for identifying maintenance problems.
The FSPP also look for opportunities to bring the best out of the pavilion, which is an inviting pause area to grab a snack at one of the kiosks, rent a bicycle or look over the ocean and enjoy swimming pool and ocean views.
The latest addition to the pavilion is a new art installation by local Cape Town artist, Marco Olivier. The sculpture is called “The snail and whale,” inspired by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s much-loved children’s picture book, that narrates a story about a tiny snail’s incredible trip around the world on the tail of a great big, grey-blue humpback whale.
The life-sized sculpture took nearly six months to complete and blends effortlessly into the environment. It will surely become one of this season’s popular photo opportunities.
The MOU enables the FSPP to maintain and rent kiosks to vendors. In return, the organisation assists the Sea Point Swimming Pool with maintenance and upgrades.
There are also talks with the City Sightseeing Bus to create a stop at the pavilion.
Recently, nearly R400 000 was spent renovating the forecourt at the pavilion. Work included refurbishing the kiosks both inside and outside and a fresh coat of paint reminiscent of the colourful, iconic Bo-Kaap houses. There were also repairs to the plumbing, electrical works, pavements, lighting and another kiosks currently selling falafels.
‘Early next year, Snoekies, a favourite take-out restaurant for freshly fried fish and chips will be joining the kiosks, which will generate additional income. The main objective is to take the income from the forecourt and plough it back into the swimming pool making meaningful maintenance and social development related improvements. The success of community facilities can only be achieved through collaboration. Another example of a working partnership is the one with the NSRI. City lifeguards and NSRI volunteers offer free swimming lessons every Saturday, which may ultimately end up saving their lives,’ said Ram Barkai, Chairperson of the FSPP.
Sea Point Swimming Pool itself is arguably one of the most beautiful public pools in the world. Many members of the friends group are also avid and professional swimmers who spend a lot of time swimming there in both winter and summer.
‘The City values the partnership and extraordinary work that officials and the friends group are doing together. It shows just how much can be achieved through communication, planning and passion for protecting outdoor community assets that offer unlimited recreation that everyone can enjoy. It takes a lot of dedication from all role players, but the results are well worth the effort,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Patricia van der Ross.
Source: City of Cape Town