Liberec should gradually repair the swimming pool according to the opposition

Liberec - According to the opposition group LOL, Liberec should undertake the renovation of the municipal swimming pool gradually. They argue that the indebted city hall does not have the funds for a complete renovation and that it would jeopardize other investments. Representatives of LOL stated this to journalists today. The city hall estimates the cost of renovating the entire pool at 350 to 400 million. Deputy Mayor Jiří Němeček (ANO) told journalists today that he cannot envision the renovation being done in stages.

The swimming complex, built in the mid-1980s at Tržní náměstí, has around 350,000 visitors annually. Important technological equipment is outdated, the roof has leaks, the building's glazing is inadequate, and the main pool's basin is leaking. The complete reconstruction is expected to begin at the earliest in January 2021, but likely later. The work will take about a year and a half, and during the reconstruction, only the smaller pool in the annex should remain operational. According to opposition councilor Zuzana Kocumová (LOL), the city's leadership should admit that they do not have the funds for this type of renovation. "The city cannot afford everything. Either we do a mega-renovation of the pool, but then we must cut everything else," Kocumová said. She considers phased repairs of the pool with summer closures over several years to be more appropriate.

The Deputy Mayor has a different opinion. "Doing it in pieces would be a disaster. We see it with May 5th (the reconstruction of the elementary school) how it backfired on us that it was not done all at once. In the end, everything must be done anyway," Němeček said.

Representatives of LOL are concerned that the reconstruction will further indebt Liberec and there will be no money for other investments. They base this on the city's budget outlook, which includes a loan of 340 million crowns in 2021. "However, the budget outlook also says that the city can take the loan only in 2023. And that only up to 160 million crowns, so the city does not violate the debt limits set by the Budgetary Responsibility Act," said LOL leader Jaromír Baxa. The current debt of Liberec is 1.65 billion crowns, and this year the city hall will manage 2.68 billion. According to Němeček, securing financing for the pool's reconstruction is still being addressed and negotiations with banks are ongoing. "It is certainly a significant burden. However, if investments in the pool had started earlier, we would be in a different situation, and it might not have cost as much money as it will likely cost," he added.

Baxa has been criticizing the financial management of Liberec for some time, considering it unsustainable. Since 2017, the city's regular expenditures have increased by 11 percent. Baxa is concerned about restrictions on some important expenditures. "The budget outlook confirms our words. By 2023, the budget may reach a more balanced state, but only at the cost of cuts in green spaces, city cleaning, schools, and culture, and on limiting investments and repairs. There is no money left for large investments," he added. These include the construction of a tram line to Rochlice, the construction of the Nová Pastýřská road, and the renovation of the Uran building, where officials are located.