The planned reconstruction of the pool in Liberec will probably not begin even next year

Liberec – The planned reconstruction of the municipal swimming pool in Liberec, costing hundreds of millions of crowns, is unlikely to begin next year. The preparation of the project has encountered further delays, and the city has not yet resolved the financing. The city hall has therefore started preparing for the possibility that the pool will remain in operation without repairs for several more years. How long it will be possible to keep it running will be indicated by an expert opinion from the Czech Technical University. Economic Deputy Mayor Zbyněk Karban (ANO) informed journalists about this.

The Liberec swimming complex, built according to the design of architect Pavel Švancer in the mid-1980s at Tržní náměstí, is in urgent need of repair. Important technological equipment is already reaching the end of its lifespan, there are leaks in the roof, the glazing of the building is insufficient, and the main pool basin is leaking. The city hall has been preparing the modernization of the complex since 2015, and the start date for the work has been postponed several times over the years.

The current operator of the pool will end its operation at the end of this year, after which the management of the swimming complex will be taken over by a newly created municipal company. According to the original plans, this was supposed to be only for a few months until the reconstruction began. "We will see how long the municipal company will operate the pool, but we are preparing for the possibility that it could be longer than we originally thought," said Karban.

The start of the work is currently being delayed by setbacks in creating the project documentation. According to Karban, there is a six-month delay. The deputy mayor is concerned that the company selected in the public tender will be able to complete it at all. "We are also preparing for the option that they may not manage it," he stated. However, he does not want to disclose how the city will proceed if that happens.

The second factor delaying the start of the work is unresolved financing. The city is requesting 300 million crowns from the National Sports Agency, but it does not yet know whether it will receive the grant this year. "Even if we are unsuccessful, we are prepared to apply again next year," said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Development and Grants Radka Loučková Kotasová (ANO). Without the grant, the regional city will find it difficult to finance the reconstruction. According to Karban, they also want to wait to issue the contract until the situation in construction returns to normal. Given the current state, the city hall fears that the cost of the reconstruction could exceed 800 million crowns. Before this year's increase in construction prices and materials, they expected a figure about twenty percent lower. "We will see how prices move. I believe that it is a bubble that, as experts say, should deflate next year," added the deputy.