The need to reconstruct the existing indoor pool is approaching. “After decades, technologies are aging, just as the construction and technical solution of the stadium and the facilities for swimmers are no longer satisfactory, therefore for us the project of the new covered 25 is a kind of back-up solution for the future, precisely for the time of the reconstruction of the existing swimming stadium,” said Olomouc Mayor Mirek Žbánek with the fact that, due to the prevalence of water sports in Olomouc and the significant interest of the public in swimming, both adults and children, it is necessary to start solving this issue not only from the point of view of a replacement water area that would be able to ensure during the reconstruction lasting up to two years the necessary demand, but also for the reason that there is a long-term lack of a second body of water in Olomouc. Up to 300,000 residents of Olomouc use the existing fifty-meter swimming pool annually.
Deputy Mayor Miroslava Ferancová, who is also in charge of sports matters, also agrees with the need to provide compensation during the reconstruction and with the general need for additional water in Olomouc: “I cannot imagine that we would decide on the reconstruction of a large swimming pool, and therefore its closure, and for that time they didn’t provide compensation for the people of Olomouc. And I’m not just talking about public swimming. It’s mainly about sports clubs – speed and fin swimming, aquabells, divers, water polo, but also compulsory education for children in primary schools. There aren’t many cities in the country with such an extensive a base for water sports that do not have another water area at their disposal,” she explained.
Whether the construction of a replacement water area will actually take place within a few years will largely depend on receiving a subsidy from the National Sports Agency. A study of a small pool hall speaks of implementation costs of approximately 250 million crowns. Subsidies could cover a large part of the costs. According to the latest information about its maximum amount, it could be up to seventy to one hundred million crowns. In order to obtain this subsidy, however, it is necessary to submit project documentation for a building permit. This will now be developed by Aquapark Olomouc, as, which would also be able to finance the possible construction of a new water area in combination with a subsidy from its own resources.
“If everything goes well, a subsidy will be allocated for the construction of the twenty-five-meter swimming pool and the city management will approve its construction, construction could begin between 2025 and 2026. We are now in a situation where the urgent reconstruction of the swimming stadium from 1965 is being prepared. While in other in regional cities with a similarly developed sports base, the water surface has been expanding in recent years, Olomouc is lagging behind in this regard. The necessity of building a new swimming pool does not result only from the planned reconstruction of the “fifty” (and its closure), but also from the fact that the current surface for recreational and fitness swimming in Olomouc is not sufficient. If we do not offer other options to swimmers after the reconstruction, we will not be able to satisfy the current demand of the public (just as we have until now). In addition, it is necessary to mention that there is currently no teaching pool in the city for compulsory swimming lessons for school-age children. Both of these the construction of the new complex should solve the long-term problems. At the same time, the situation is such that our company is now able to secure the financing of the project using a large subsidy,” described the director of Aquapark Olomouc Dalibor Přikryl. “The decision to prepare the project for construction is an effort by us and the city management not only to prevent the desperate situation of sports clubs and the swimming public during (and after) the reconstruction of the swimming stadium, but also not to waste the opportunity to receive a high subsidy, which may not be repeated in the future,” he added.
The expected price of the project for a building permit is 10 to 12 million crowns and it will be financed by the company Aquapark Olomouc, as The new “fifty” should be built on land adjacent to the summer part of the aquapark, which would connect the two areas during the summer months and use the current indoor and external infrastructure.
Tags: city construction indoor swimming pool Aquapark project preparation
