<p>25 designs were submitted to the architectural competition for the new swimming complex in H. Brod.</p>

Havlíčkův Brod - The architectural competition for a new swimming complex in Havlíčkův Brod received 25 proposals. The deadline for submission has already passed. Evaluation is expected to be completed by June. This was announced today by Mayor Zbyněk Stejskal (ODS) to journalists. Experts estimate that the current indoor pool has a lifespan of only a few more years. The town hall will seek grants for the construction of the complex, which will cost several hundred million crowns.

The competition was announced by the Havlíčkův Brod town hall last December. "We are pleased because there are really a lot of participants in the competition," said the mayor regarding the number of submitted proposals. The jury will decide on the next steps. The mayor favors selecting three or four of the most suitable proposals and then revisiting them after a shorter time to evaluate them in more detail, for example, in terms of the energy efficiency of the complex.

"We definitely want to have a decision by June on which of the candidates will continue with the project documentation," Stejskal said. This documentation for the swimming complex should then be fully prepared by mid-next year.

The current pool has been in operation for almost 30 years, located next to the ice rink in the Kotlina sports complex in the city park. The city is monitoring the technical condition of the aging facility. "So far, it has not been confirmed that the condition is deteriorating," the mayor said. The city plans to build the new complex elsewhere and connect it with the summer swimming pool on Chotěbořská Street.

For the project, which could cost around half a billion crowns, the city intends to apply for grants from the National Sports Agency and the Vysočina Region. "Because it will be a regional facility. The swimming pool serves not only Havlíčkův Brod," Stejskal stated. He added that the pool is used by people and schools for swimming training from a wider area, including Chotěboř, Světlá nad Sázavou, and Ledeč nad Sázavou.

At the start of the architectural competition, the town hall stated that it was faced with the decision of whether to undertake a general reconstruction of the swimming pool or to opt for the construction of a new building that would meet modern standards. It decided on new construction. The competitive brief included a hall with a pool for competitive and fitness swimming with six to eight lanes, each 25 meters long, and a second hall with a pool for recreational activities and teaching. It is also planned to have a children's paddling pool, whirlpools, and additional water attractions, as well as a sauna world.