The outdoor pool at the Sports Arena in Česká Lípa will not be built

Česká Lípa - They will not build an outdoor pool at the Sports Complex in the center of the city of Česká Lípa. The new city leadership led by ANO has decided to abandon the project prepared by its predecessors. Due to the proposed location, this plan had been criticized from the beginning, which is why the town hall wants to focus on the construction of a pool in the Dubice recreational area on the outskirts of the city. There is also discussion about the space of the unused cinder pitch on Havlíčkova Street near the city park. However, this land belongs to the Liberec Region, said mayor Jitka Volfová (ANO) to ČTK today.

Česká Lípa, with 37,000 inhabitants, is the third largest city in the Liberec Region, but lacks summer swimming facilities. Residents must travel up to ten kilometers to Nový Bor, Sloup in Bohemia, or even to Lake Mácha. In the past, the town hall focused mainly on improving water quality in the natural reservoir Dubice, but all measures had little effect. Therefore, the previous leadership led by ČSSD prepared for the construction of an outdoor pool at the Sports Complex. For about 90 million crowns, a pool of approximately 860 square meters was to be built there, equipped with a slide, water attractions, and a wading pool. However, critics did not like its location next to a busy thoroughfare and a shopping center.

"For us, the favored location is Dubice, we are in contact with architects who proposed a pool there," said Deputy Mayor for Development Martin Brož (ANO). The town hall will explore possibilities for reducing the content of toxic cyanobacteria, which is the main problem for the water reservoir. "We want to negotiate with fishermen about changing the type of fish to ones that do not worsen water quality. We will also consider planting vegetation that could help clean the water," he added. According to him, the location is interesting and attendance for water sports currently offered by the operator is increasing. "Due to a lack of space, the architects came up with an interesting idea to place the pool partially directly in the water surface," Volfová added.

According to Volfová, the architects will assess both locations, but the final word will belong to the councilors. "However, it is necessary to make a decision quickly; we all want this swimming pool, we need it, and we would be happy if it could be realized within this electoral period," Volfová said. For this reason, the city is also planning to allocate 90 million for the construction of the swimming pool in the budget for the upcoming years. Even though it will not be possible to obtain any subsidies for the project, the city is capable of financing the construction from funds it has accumulated in the past. According to Volfová, there are approximately 800 million crowns in its accounts, which is the total annual budget. "In the past, investments were minimal," she explained.