They want to start the construction of an outdoor pool in Česká Lípa this year

Česká Lípa - In Česká Lípa, they want to start construction of an outdoor swimming pool at the Sportareál this year. The city is looking for a contractor. If everything goes well, the pool could welcome its first visitors as early as next summer. The cost of building an outdoor pool with a waterslide and other attractions is estimated by the designers at 90 million crowns, including VAT. The city hall believes that the construction could become cheaper in the bidding process. Today, the mayor Romana Žatecká (ČSSD) told ČTK.

Already in 2015, the city commissioned a feasibility study; in this year's budget, 40 million crowns is prepared for the construction, making it one of the largest planned investments. "We are at the stage of the building permit; the project is ready, we have completed a visualization so that citizens can get acquainted with how the pool will look, how it will be situated, what form it will take," said Žatecká. According to her, everything is proceeding according to plan, but the start of construction is being delayed by a prolonged construction process.

With 37,000 inhabitants, Česká Lípa is the third-largest city in the Liberec Region, but it lacks summer bathing facilities. People have to travel ten kilometers to Nový Bor, Sloup in Bohemia, or even to Máchovo Lake. In the past, the city focused primarily on improving the water quality in the natural reservoir Dubice, but all measures were ineffective. Therefore, the city wanted to build an artificial pool for 60 million crowns nearby. However, the weakness of the location is its placement in a flood zone and a long walking distance from the city center.

Thus, the city hall sought additional options. There were six alternatives to choose from, of which Sportareál is considered the most advantageous by the city. Deputy Mayor Juraj Raninec (ODS) previously told ČTK that the main advantage is that it is possible to utilize the facilities of Sportareál and especially the cogeneration unit. According to him, the water can be heated at the beginning and end of the season. The pool is to occupy an area of approximately 860 square meters, including a slide, water attractions, and a wading pool, in the space of the current parking lot. The area is expected to have a capacity of 1,000 people.