<Město Písek> has not decided on the construction of a new swimming pool

Písek - Today, the representatives of Písek did not decide on the construction of a new swimming pool; they will do so at one of the upcoming meetings. However, the representatives agreed that the city will invest six million crowns next year into necessary repairs for the current, 40-year-old pool under the ramparts.

The representatives are deciding between two options: either to build the pool in the area under the forestry school or in the former Žižkov barracks, where a multipurpose sports hall has already been approved for construction.

In June, the representatives decided that work on the project preparation for the pool will continue in its current form, that is, in the location under the forestry school, with the establishment of the facility costing about 256 million. At the same time, they prepared a study that examined the possibility of building the pool and a multipurpose sports hall or just the hall in the Žižkov barracks area. Regardless of how the voting turns out, the pool could be the biggest investment in the city in recent years.

Petr Starčevič, co-author of the architectural and urban planning study dealing with the use of the former barracks, told the council that it would be more advantageous for the city to place the pool in this complex next to the multipurpose sports hall.

According to Starčevič, the planned multipurpose sports hall is intended for approximately 750 people, the swimming pool is designed for 300 visitors according to the project, and there should be parking for 225 cars.

Back in 2011, the then leadership of Písek presented five possible options for the reconstruction of the current pool or the construction of a new pool to the public. The construction of the new complex was supposed to start in 2013, but the people then decided in a binding referendum that they did not want the pool in the location originally chosen by the city hall. The selected option was very close to the historical center, and most referendum participants felt that a pool was not suitable for such a location.

The operational loss of the current pool is 11 million crowns, and its capacity is regularly filled due to high demand. "However, it is not designed for families with children, who go to other facilities outside Písek, which is a shame for the city," stated councilwoman Petra Trambová (TOP 09).

In Písek, significant investment projects worth hundreds of millions of crowns are planned for the following year. Among the largest is the building of the Czech Post, where a new parking garage for 234 cars will be built for 120 million crowns. The new City Library and Education Center will cost nearly 168 million crowns and will be created from the former elementary school building on Alšovo náměstí, which neighbors the current library building.