I am filling the pool after a reconstruction costing 200 million, it is supposed to open in October

Aš – Aš in Cheb district has started filling the municipal swimming pool after the ending reconstruction costing approximately 200 million crowns. After finishing works and furnishing, it is expected to open to the public in October. This information was provided to ČTK by the spokesperson of the Aš Town Hall, Milan Vrbata. The repairs were originally supposed to last 18 months and cost about 160 million crowns. However, they were extended by four months.

The pool is being filled with water from the water reservoir on Havlíčková Street under the supervision of a specialized company. The filling will take a long time because the output of the source is limited to approximately 40 cubic meters per day, the spokesperson stated. Installation of the interior equipment will also continue in the pool until the end of September. According to Vrbata, sanitary facilities are being installed in the showers and toilets as well as locker cabinets. Workers are also finishing the paving at the entrance to the pool and in the future sauna area.

The pool was closed to the public on December 9 two years ago. The winners of the tender, companies BauStav and Metrostav, which were the only ones to apply for the contracts, took over the construction site after the preparatory works at the beginning of last January and started the repairs. The modernization affected the entire pool structure, including insulation of the skeleton and roof of the pool. Technologies for water treatment and heating were also replaced, and photovoltaic panels and air conditioning were installed. According to the mayor of Aš, Vítězslav Kokoř (ANO), additional costs and extra work only became apparent when the construction was uncovered. "New roof beams had to be installed because they were rusty, and then the entire roof had to be replaced as well,” he said.

The pool opened in the nearly thirteen-thousand population town in November 1978. It was built by locals during a voluntary work project known as Action Z. Approximately 50,000 people visit it annually. After the reconstruction, the steam sauna will be preserved, and a Finnish sauna and a bio sauna will be added. Stainless steel bathtubs have been installed in the original concrete basins. The layout of the lobby with the reception and changing rooms has also been改(edited). The lighting throughout the entire building has been modernized as well.

According to Kokoř, Aš tried to obtain a subsidy for the modernization but was unsuccessful. Therefore, the town financed the construction from its own resources. According to the mayor, it primarily used money that had been blocked in the account of the collapsed Sberbank for more than two years, amounting to approximately 167 million crowns. Aš recovered 158.5 million crowns, which is roughly 95 percent of the original amount. The Czech National Bank revoked the banking license of Sberbank CZ at the beginning of May 2022. The reason was the worsening situation at Sberbank CZ due to the outflow of deposits following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Other regions and municipalities also had money in it.