Jeseník - The Jeseník city council has given the green light to a new aquapark, the construction of which is expected to cost up to 200 million crowns. The Jesenik technical services can therefore start the tender process for the selection of a construction company next week. Today, 14 out of 22 council members voted for the continued progress of this project, the intent of which was approved two years ago. The costs of building the Regional Aquapark Jeseník are estimated at around 200 million crowns excluding VAT, with nearly 80 million crowns to be covered by grants from European funds. Jeseník will acquire additional funds from donations and the sale of city property, and 50 million crowns will be covered by a loan. Council members who did not raise their hands in favor of this project argued that the Jeseník aquapark would unnecessarily burden the city's budget. Some of them would prefer to invest the money, for example, into the local sports hall. On the other hand, its supporters believe that this is the last opportunity to utilize EU grants for the construction of an aquapark which is noticeably lacking in the spa area. Jan Šnajdr from Česká spořitelna (CS) presented an analysis of the project to the council today, according to which Jeseník's budget shows an annual operating surplus of 20 to 25 million crowns, while the aquapark will require nearly 10 million crowns in subsidies from the city each year. This amount includes the repayments of a 50 million crown loan spread over 15 years. Even after its repayment, however, the town hall will need to invest several million crowns annually into the operation and maintenance of the aquapark. According to Šnajdr, the calculations are based on an estimated average attendance of 135,000 people per year at the Jeseník aquapark. Šnajdr pointed out that some experts consider this figure to be inflated, talking about a maximum of 80,000 visitors, while others estimate attendance at more than 150,000 people. In the Czech Republic, according to Šnajdr, there are about 200 pools and aquaparks operating, but only a fraction of them show a profit and can operate without million-crown subsidies from municipal governments. The savings bank has financed the construction of about 60 aquaparks and pools in the Czech Republic. An example of an unprofitable aquapark is the one on the outskirts of Olomouc, built by the city council in cooperation with several private companies. Since its opening in 2009, the aquapark reported a cumulative loss of 73 million crowns by the end of 2011, with total construction costs exceeding one billion crowns. In 2011, the city council paid nearly 30 million crowns to the aquapark, which the company used for operations and repayments of an investment loan. Last year, the subsidy was increased to 45 million crowns, which should help the aquapark repay the loan by 2026.
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