If you look closely, you will see something that resembles the old indoor swimming pool of De Smelen in Geldrop. Since December, they have been working hard on renovating the swimming pool.
The indoor pool is undergoing extensive demolition to make room for new swimming facilities and a new gym. The work outside is almost finished. The outdoor pools are equipped with new foil, a kind of layer over the pool. There will be a new slide for children.
The installation of the slide will just have to wait a little longer. Due to the heavy rainfall, the surface is still too wet. “The slide is stored here, but we don’t know yet when we can install it”, location manager Bart de Vries says.
Happiness
The first swimmers indicate that they are happy that the outdoor pool is open again. Erik is training for the triathlon and is just doing his laps in the water at a temperature of nineteen degrees. “It is cold today, the water is not yet up to temperature”. Another swimmer is also enthusiastic. “I’m not going to build a swimming pool at home for €70 a season”.
Mess
De Vries: “As you can see, it is a big mess. Only the swimming pools remain the same, almost everything else is being addressed”. This will create more space for changing rooms, catering and a new gym. In order to install solar panels, the roof of the building will also be completely replaced. “With this renovation we hope to be completely up and running for the next 20 years”.
After years of discussions, the municipality has allocated approximately €3,000,000 for the renovation. The rest of the bill lies with the Sportfonds (sports fund) company, which includes swimming pool owner Laco BV. De Vries is confident that the renovated swimming pool will generate enough money. The new gym plays an important role in this. “The structure of the subscription will be slightly different, so we try to get people to exercise relatively cheaply”.
The indoor pool is expected to be ready in October.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
