Pardubice will renovate the swimming complex without European grants

Pardubice - Pardubice will repair the swimming complex without European subsidies. Due to the modernization of the outdated facility, they will incur debt. Part will be paid from the sale of municipal apartments. The repair will cost 588 million crowns. This was decided today by the city representatives with a majority vote.
    "If we keep postponing the repair, we will never get it done, or it will only become more expensive," said Deputy Mayor Alexandr Krejčíř.
    The swimming complex has been discussed repeatedly by the representatives. Most recently, it was excluded from the package of European projects because the construction was not fully prepared for reconstruction due to proceedings with the antimonopoly office. However, this decision deprived the modernization of nearly 150 million crowns.
    Today, they decided that they would borrow 480 million crowns and pay an additional 108 million crowns from the sale of municipal apartments. Some disagreed with the proposal, but they did not gain a majority in the council. For example, Deputy Mayor Štěpánka Fraňková (Association for Pardubice) and Councilor Jiří Rozinek (CSSD) advised against the proposal.
    "The city must consider what it can achieve. From July 2012 until 2025, it will be repaying 53 million crowns annually," stated Rozinek.
    The Civic Democrats convinced the participants that it is necessary to see the project through to the end. Alfréd Méde, who is also a representative of the City Development Fund of Pardubice, which manages the facility, pointed out that this is a solution for decades, and the facility will be of high quality and finally serve families with children as well. He resonated with Jiří Razskazov, also from ODS.
    "When something needs to be done, it should be done properly. We have assets that we can sell. Otherwise, we will be patching it up again piece by piece," said Razskazov.
    The foundations of the swimming complex were laid by construction workers back in 1959, and it was built over the course of 30 years with interruptions. It does not meet standards, and the expensive repairs will turn it into a modern aquapark. Until the end of June, it operates only thanks to a hygiene exception that has been repeatedly extended.