According to the study, the new Písek swimming pool belongs to the former barracks

Písek - The representatives of Písek will discuss the construction of a swimming pool on Thursday, which is one of the most important and largest investments in the city in recent years. One option for its location is in the area of the former Žižkov barracks, and the other location is under the forestry school. According to Petr Starčevič, co-author of the architectural-urban study concerning the use of the former barracks, it would be more advantageous for the city to place the swimming pool precisely in this area along with a multi-sport hall.

"Thursday's decision should not be understood as a vote on where the building or swimming pool will stand. It is about how the city of Písek will look in the future, how its infrastructure will be comprehensively approached, and how currently unused locations will be revitalized for the benefit of residents," said the Deputy Mayor of Písek, Josef Knot (TOP 09), to ČTK.

The construction of a swimming pool has been a sensitive political topic in Písek for about five years. The current indoor swimming pool Pod hradbami is outdated. One possibility is that next to the swimming pool in the Žižkov barracks, there will also be a multi-sport hall.

"It is certainly not hard to imagine that placing a swimming pool and a hall, followed by subsequent park enhancements, would fundamentally transform and elevate the area of the former barracks. Let's remember that this eight-hectare area has been a closed part of the city for over a hundred years," Starčevič told ČTK.

According to him, it is good and right that the city is taking the initiative for changes in this direction. "The area should be meaningfully opened up to city life on a large scale. After the future addition of three smaller sections of the former barracks to urban development with housing, services, and other functions, there would be a completely new, extraordinary, and attractive urban district," Starčevič said.

In June, the representatives decided that work on the project preparation for the construction of the swimming pool would continue in its current form, that is in the location under the forestry school, with the construction of the area costing about 200 million crowns. However, a study is also prepared, which has examined the possibility of building a swimming pool and a multi-sport hall or just the hall in the area of the Žižkov barracks.

In 2011, the then leadership of Písek presented to the public five possible variants for the reconstruction of the current or the construction of a new swimming pool. The selected variants of the plan have been accompanied by protests from residents from the beginning, and petitions have also emerged. The construction of the new area was supposed to start in 2013, but people then decided in a binding referendum that they did not want the swimming pool in the location originally selected by the town hall. The chosen variant was in close proximity to the historic center and, according to most participants in the referendum, was not suitable for such a location.

The combination of both projects, the multi-functional hall and the swimming pool, in one location, which would bring a synergistic effect and savings, is, according to the authors of the study, only possible in the area of the former barracks. The area is sufficient for the placement of both buildings, including additional leisure activities and parking. The barracks also have the option of utilizing underground water. According to geologist Josef Karvánek, its use, compared to using water from the Otava River, is more advantageous mainly due to the lower demands for subsequent treatment.