Příbram will announce a competition for the reconstruction of the aquapark in February

Příbram - Příbram will announce a tender for the reconstruction of the water park in February, lasting six to eight weeks. Mayor Jan Konvalinka (for ANO) announced this at today's council meeting. The key information that will emerge from the competition will be the price. The council members should decide by summer whether the city will undertake the reconstruction under such conditions.

The opposition today was unsuccessful with proposals to set a maximum price for which the city would repair the water park. Šance for Příbram proposed that costs should not exceed 301.2 million crowns excluding VAT, while the Pirates suggested 250 million without VAT. According to Konvalinka, by setting a maximum price in advance, the city hall would deprive itself of valuable information.

"I agree that we shouldn't approve any limits here,” supported Konvalinka councilor Petr Rotter from ANO, and similar statements were made by opposition councilor Václav Švenda from TOP 09 and councilor Jindřich Vařeka (ANO). "If we set a ceiling, then no one will apply, and we will learn nothing," said Vařeka. The council members ultimately voted for the proposal by Jiří Holý (for ANO) to have the city council continue preparing the competition and present the results to the council for further discussion.

Konvalinka emphasized that the 440 million crowns mentioned in the budget outlook is not the expected price. It is the maximum that can be paid without seriously compromising the city's assets, which need to be repaired or built in the coming years. The ODS party, which has one representative on the council, opposed the reconstruction with costs over 400 million crowns in recent days. They called on the city leadership to reassess the project, claiming it is unrealistic and megalomaniacal. The opposition Pirates and Šance for Příbram joined the criticism. Councilor Vladimír Král from Šance pointed out that the city is taking out a loan due to the costly reconstruction. "We are pretending to be something we are not," he warned.

"None of us sitting here likes the amount of 440 million, everyone is afraid of it," reacted councilor Jindřich Vařeka (ANO). He pointed out that, according to a survey, the public wanted the expansion of the water park and reminded that large sums have been spent in the past to cover operational losses. "That water park needs a complete overhaul," added Vařeka.

Konvalinka argued that the intention of a complete reconstruction with all extensions was already approved by the previous council. "We are bound by the relevant resolution and act entirely in its spirit," he said. Stopping the work on the preparation of the contract, as called for by the ODS, without determining the actual price would, according to him, mean wasting the funds already spent. "Without knowledge of the real price, we cannot say if the reconstruction is too expensive, or if the price is appropriate and thus acceptable. We cannot then determine how much individual stages of the reconstruction will cost, or each technological unit. We will not obtain the most important documents for potential decision-making about a different type of reconstruction project, which we can internally refer to as Plan B," concluded the mayor.