The Cihelna swimming pool in Pardubice is set for reconstruction; the city has announced a tender

Pardubice – The Cihelna swimming pool in Pardubice has reached the end of its operational life after 22 years. This year, a complete renovation is expected to begin, and it will be closed for one to two seasons. The pools are already in very poor condition, and the technology is outdated. Petr Ministr, the operator of the swimming pool, stated this for ČTK.

"After 22 years, the technology, pumps, filters, and chemical management have failed. We need to repair it to ensure we can provide quality water. The last renovation was in 2000, and the usual lifespan of technology or tiling is 15 years," said Ministr.

The tiles in the pools have been falling off for several seasons; visitors have been able to injure themselves on them, which has indeed happened repeatedly. "The number of injuries was increasing, a visitor detached a tile, it fell to the bottom, has sharp edges, and often someone has cut themselves on it. The tiles are hard to find; we had to dive and collect them. Not everything was taken by the pool vacuum," said Ministr.

Once the city selects a construction company, the complete renovation will begin. The water features will also be modernized. The construction company will demolish the pools, remove old tiles, and the damaged liner. The new liner will be resistant to damage.

"The walls will be stainless steel, the liner will be on them, and the overflow tank will be ceramic. The walls cannot be cut through," said Ministr. Operators have previously dealt with a vandal who repeatedly cut through the liner in the pool, but the police never caught him, added Ministr.

The layout of the swimming pool will remain the same, with no attractions being added or removed. The reconstruction also includes enclosing the area and a stand where the technology is located, along with restrooms, showers, and changing boxes. The renovation of the sunbathing racks in the stand is also planned. "The tiles will also be repaired in the stand, and the old building, which also has social facilities, will be reconstructed," said Ministr.

The city decided to renovate the swimming pool last autumn. It was divided into two parts due to financial limits. "One half will be repaired, followed by the second half of the swimming pool. It was assumed that it would be closed for one season. But given how the tender process is going, there is a risk that it will be turned off for two seasons," said Mayor Martin Charvát (ANO).

The estimated cost is 130 million crowns. However, the final amount is not certain, as the city does not know what offers construction companies will submit. If there are no complications during the tender, the city hall will have a selected contractor within 30 days.

The Cihelna swimming pool dates back to 1960. The area covers more than four hectares. The water surface is 3,500 square meters. It can accommodate up to 4,000 people at once. In Pardubice, there is another swimming facility, the Sun Beach, which opens the season on June 1 and has a capacity of 1,700 people.