Latest news with #Spanish-themed
New Paper
3 days ago
- Business
- New Paper
Dislodged tiles, sharp edges in Sengkang exec condo pools
Tiling issues at two swimming pools in a new executive condominium in Sengkang have led to repeated closures of the facilities since April, raising concerns about safety and quality among some residents. A resident of Ola in Anchorvale Crescent told The Straits Times that he was concerned about the quality of the construction after the management appeared to have not resolved the issue after two months. "There are sharp edges on the pool floor as a result of the dislodged tiles. If you're not careful, it is easy to get hurt," said the resident, who declined to be named. He collected the keys to his unit in June 2024. The children's pool in particular had many missing tiles, he said, adding that other residents had stated in chat groups that children had been hurt. The pool reopened in mid-April but closed again by end-April as the tiles kept getting dislodged, he added. The other pool - a 50m lap pool - reopened in end-May but there were still some missing tiles, the resident said. The 548-unit exec condo, touted as a luxury Spanish-themed development, obtained its temporary occupation permit in April 2024. It was jointly developed by local company Evia Real Estate and Malaysia-based Gamuda Land. "The condo is still relatively new, so it's disappointing that there are already recurring issues with the pools," said the resident. A spokesman for the exec condo's management corporation strata title (MCST) said its managing agent was alerted to the dislodged tiles in the two pools in late March, and both pools were closed for inspections on April 2. Rectification works to replace the dislodged tiles began on April 10. The number of such tiles in both pools was "relatively small", he noted. Although the children's pool reopened on April 19 after repairs were completed, it was closed again on April 29 as the works were found to be unsatisfactory, the spokesman said. Thus, he said, "we have decided to hack off all the existing tiles in the kids' pool and retile the surfaces with a set of newly selected tiles". A resident who wanted to be known only as Mr Low was satisfied with the MCST's decision to retile the children's pool. Before its closure, his child would use the pool once a week. "It shows that the management is taking the issue seriously," said the 46-year-old sales director, who told the MCST about the dislodged tiles in late March. He moved into his unit in November. A spokesman for Red Dot Pool Engineering, a pool maintenance company, said it was unusual for tiles to become dislodged in relatively new swimming pools. The company usually sees such issues after 10 years of wear and tear. Dislodged tiles could be a result of workmanship issues such as carrying out tiling works on a rainy day, he said. If water is trapped under tiles and the area is not properly dried, the tiles can become loose prematurely. A resident said the children's pool, in particular, had many missing tiles. PHOTO: ST READER The company spokesman noted that such issues tend to occur more frequently with smaller tiles. "We recommend using tiles of at least 50mm as there is a larger surface area sticking to the floor," he said. The MCST expects rectification works in the children's pool to be completed in July, subject to weather conditions. At the lap pool, localised repair work is being carried out in phases so that it remains partially open. The pool will be fully opened in two weeks, depending on the weather. "However, should there be a need to carry out retiling works, like at the kids' pool, we are also prepared to do so," the MCST spokesman added.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Dislodged tiles, sharp edges in Sengkang exec condo pools spark concern among residents
The swimming pools at a new executive condominium in Sengkang have been closed on and off since April. PHOTO: ST READER SINGAPORE – Tiling issues at two swimming pools in a new executive condominium in Sengkang have led to repeated closures of the facilities since April, raising concerns about safety and quality among some residents. A resident of Ola in Anchorvale Crescent told The Straits Times that he was concerned about the quality of the construction after the management appeared to have not resolved the issue after two months. 'There are sharp edges on the pool floor as a result of the dislodged tiles. If you're not careful, it is easy to get hurt,' said the resident, who declined to be named. He collected the keys to his unit in June 2024. The children's pool in particular had many missing tiles, he said, adding that other residents had stated in chat groups that children had been hurt. The pool reopened in mid-April but closed again by end-April as the tiles kept getting dislodged, he added. The other pool – a 50m lap pool – reopened in end-May but there were still some missing tiles, the resident said. The 548-unit exec condo, touted as a luxury Spanish-themed development, obtained its temporary occupation permit in April 2024. It was jointly developed by local company Evia Real Estate and Malaysia-based Gamuda Land. 'The condo is still relatively new, so it's disappointing that there are already recurring issues with the pools,' said the resident. A spokesman for the exec condo's management corporation strata title (MCST) said its managing agent was alerted to the dislodged tiles in the two pools in late March , and both pools were closed for inspections on April 2. Rectification works to replace the dislodged tiles began on April 10. The number of such tiles in both pools was 'relatively small', he noted. Although the children's pool reopened on April 19 after repairs were completed, it was closed again on April 29 as the works were found to be unsatisfactory, the spokesman said. Thus, he said, 'we have decided to hack off all the existing tiles in the kids' pool and retile the surfaces with a set of newly selected tiles'. A resident who wanted to be known only as Mr Low was satisfied with the MCST's decision to retile the children's pool. Before its closure, his child would use the pool once a week. 'It shows that the management is taking the issue seriously,' said the 46-year-old sales director, who told the MCST about the dislodged tiles in late March. He moved into his unit in November. A spokesman for Red Dot Pool Engineering, a pool maintenance company, said it was unusual for tiles to become dislodged in relatively new swimming pools. The company usually sees such issues after 10 years of wear and tear. Dislodged tiles could be a result of workmanship issues such as carrying out tiling works on a rainy day, he said. If water is trapped under tiles and the area is not properly dried, the tiles can become loose prematurely. A resident said the children's pool, in particular, had many missing tiles. PHOTO: ST READER The company spokesman noted that such issues tend to occur more frequently with smaller tiles. 'We recommend using tiles of at least 50mm as there is a larger surface area sticking to the floor,' he said. The MCST expects rectification works in the children's pool to be completed in July, subject to weather conditions. At the lap pool, localised repair work is being carried out in phases so that it remains partially open. The pool will be fully opened in two weeks, depending on the weather. 'However, should there be a need to carry out retiling works, like at the kids' pool, we are also prepared to do so,' the MCST spokesman added. Isabelle Liew is a journalist at The Straits Times. She covers housing issues in Singapore, with a focus on public housing. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Dislodged tiles, sharp edges in Sengkang EC pools spark concern among residents
The swimming pools at a new executive condominium in Sengkang had been closed on-and-off since April. PHOTO: ST READER SINGAPORE – Tiling issues at two swimming pools in a new executive condominium (EC) in Sengkang have led to repeated closures of the facilities since April, raising concerns about safety and quality among some residents. A resident of Ola EC in Anchorvale Crescent told The Straits Times that he was concerned about the quality of the construction after the management appeared to have not resolved the issue after two months. 'There are sharp edges on the pool floor as a result of the dislodged tiles. If you're not careful, it is easy to get hurt,' said the resident, who declined to be named. He collected the keys to his unit in June 2024. The kids' pool, in particular, had many missing tiles, he noted, adding that other residents shared in chat groups that children had been hurt. The pool reopened in mid-April but closed again by end-April as the tiles kept getting dislodged, he added. The other pool – a 50m lap pool – reopened in end-May, but there were still some missing tiles, the resident noted. The 548-unit EC, touted as a luxury Spanish-themed development, obtained its temporary occupation permit in April 2024. It was jointly developed by local company Evia Real Estate and Malaysia-based Gamuda Land. 'The condo is still relatively new, so it's disappointing that there are already recurring issues with the pools,' said the resident. A spokesman for the EC's management corporation strata title (MCST) said their managing agent was alerted to the dislodged tiles in the two pools in end-March, and both pools were closed for inspections on April 2. Rectification works to replace the dislodged tiles began on April 10. The number of such tiles in both pools were 'relatively small', he noted. Although the kids' pool reopened on April 19 after repair works were completed, it was closed again on April 29 as the works were found to be unsatisfactory, the spokesman said. 'As such, we have decided to hack off all the existing tiles in the kids' pool and retile the surfaces with a set of newly-selected tiles,' he said. A resident who wanted to be known only as Mr Low was satisfied with the MCST's decision to retile the kids' pool. Before its closure, his child would use the pool once a week. 'It shows that the management is taking the issue seriously,' said the 46-year-old sales director, who told the MCST about the dislodged tiles in late March. He moved into his unit in November. A spokesman for Red Dot Pool Engineering, a pool maintenance firm, said it was unusual for tiles to become dislodged in relatively new swimming pools. The company usually sees such issues after 10 years of wear and tear. Dislodged tiles could be a result of workmanship issues such as tiling on a rainy day, he said. If water is trapped under tiles and is not properly dried, the tiles can become loose prematurely. A resident noted that the kids' pool, in particular, had many missing tiles. PHOTO: ST READER The spokesman noted that such issues tend to occur more frequently with smaller tiles. 'We recommend using tiles of at least 50mm as there is a larger surface area sticking to the floor,' he said. The MCST expects rectification works in the kids' pool to be completed in July, subject to weather conditions. At the lap pool , localised repair work is being carried out in phases so that it remains partially open. The pool will be fully opened in two weeks, depending on the weather . 'However, should there be a need to carry out retiling works, like at the kids' pool, we are also prepared to do so,' the spokesman added. Isabelle Liew is a journalist at The Straits Times. She covers housing issues in Singapore, with a focus on public housing. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Buzz Feed
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Spanish Jeopardy Trivia Quiz
Almost 12 billion Americans are bilingual Spanish speakers, and about 13% of the population are native Spanish speakers. Having dropped that info, though, how strong is your Spanish speaking? Could you hold your own in a basic conversation? Let's see with these Spanish-themed questions from Jeopardy! episodes!
Telegraph
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Pig farmer selling land for theme park claims he's been shunned by locals
A pig farmer who is selling his land to the potential developers of a £600 million theme park has claimed he is being shunned by his neighbours. Derek Hall says he was given the 'cold shoulder' over his decision to hand over land to the creators of Puy du Fou, a history-themed park in the Loire region of western France. The firm, which also has a Spanish-themed park in Toledo, now wants to create a British version on a site in Oxfordshire. Villagers in Bucknell say the development, near junction 10 of the M40 near Bicester, is a potential 'nightmare' and would result in traffic chaos if it received the projected 2.5 million visitors a year. Mr Hall blamed the ' pressures of pig farming ' for his decision to sell. The 80-year-old said: 'The pig industry went through hell. We were losing £10,000 a week for a whole year [in 2022]; nobody in the village came to me and said: 'You all right, Derek, how are you coping with this?'' He said residents would have the 'opportunity to deal with the group of people that want this project to go ahead' and that its owners will be available to deal with any issues. 'They're not coming to build it and then going away. They're not building warehouses, and then they're gone,' he added. Mr Hall also said he was upset by the reaction of his neighbours as he had been at the centre of village life for decades. 'I have done a lot in the village in my time. I've chaired every committee in the village, I've been involved with nearly every event that's ever happened in the village. 'I would take it somewhat slightly personally that people thought it was horrible. Some of the initial reactions were like it was a roller coaster ride-type fairground that was going to be put in and it's not. 'I call it 'theatre in the forest' because what I've seen in France, that's what it's like,' he added. His wife, Kate, said locals were 'blaming us for everything' and 'had some funny ideas'. 'We were just looking for a way out of a complicated family business and we thought it would be nice. I knew they would complain about the traffic but I didn't expect this much backlash,' she said. Puy du Fou, described as 'a place where history and nature go hand in hand' has had a presence in Les Epesses in France since 1978 and in Spain, since 2021. The Oxfordshire park would open between April and October with four period villages and 13 live shows. Natural features such as ponds, lakes and gardens and more than 40 acres of wildflower meadows and 20,000 new trees, are also included in the plans. The proposals are expected to be formally submitted to planners in the summer but Puy du Fou has now launched a consultation. Sarah Evans-Roberts, 64, Cherwell district council's revenues and recovery officer, said the B4100 which passes the proposed development north of Bucknell 'isn't fit for purpose as it is'. She added: 'This road here will just become a further rat-run, for staff going up there, and this road is ridiculous as it is. 'I think Bicester needs more attractions, so I'm not against the fact that we're getting an attraction but I think there's plenty of brownfield sites that would be more suitable.' She suggested the former RAF sites at Hayford Park i nstead, adding 'the roundabout and the B4100 just will never cope'. 'When that's there and there are the proposed 2.5 million visitors a year, it's going to be ridiculous.' Nick Jones, 66, a technical director living nearby, said the village is being 'overwhelmed'. He added: 'They're going to take more than 500 acres of prime farmland. They say: 'It's not a theme park' – it's got a theme. It hasn't got any rides but it's still a theme park. They're just trying to placate us. 'I moved here for a quiet village life.' Steve Alderton, 67, a retired motor trade worker, said 'it's going to be a nightmare'. Philippe de Villiers, the French theme park's founder, has previously caused controversy over his far-Right political links and associations with Russia. He set up the political party Mouvement pour la France in 1994 with a manifesto that included a ban on building new mosques and outlawing gay marriage. There were also concerns over the park's links to Russia when it was revealed it planned to open a site in Moscow – but the company has now said it abandoned the idea because of the war in Ukraine. On the continent, it has showcased historical events such as the Roman Empire and featured figures like Joan of Arc. A Puy du Fou spokesman said: ' Puy du Fou explored opening a park in Russia and were caught off guard by the rapid deterioration of the geopolitical situation in Russia and Crimea. 'Quite properly we cancelled this initiative once the international sanctions regime was established. The Russia project never went beyond an outline concept. 'Every day we are open, tens of thousands of visitors in two countries witness the quality and popularity of Puy du Fou's work, as evidenced by the thousands of glowing reviews on social media. 'Our visitors provide the best response to these negative and unfounded criticisms.'
