After years of talking and many tons of research costs, the word is out. There will be no open-air swimming pool in Assen. There is currently no council majority in favor of such an outdoor pool. Most parties believe it is not financially feasible, regardless of location.
It is the second time in ten years that Assen residents have seen plans for an open-air swimming pool fail. In 2016 there was suddenly a shortage of money, and the swimming pool went into the trash.
Two locations that were possible according to recent research were the Stadsbroek sports park, where two small outdoor pools of De Bonte Wever are now located, and at the Baggelhuizerplas. The Municipal Executive therefore only came to the council with these two ‘promising’ places. They just had to choose what was feasible and affordable. But there was no substantive discussion about both locations in the council tonight.
According to most parties, building a swimming pool, with significant annual costs, is not financially feasible at the moment. Difficult years await Assen. And that is why a multi-million dollar expenditure is not appropriate at this time.
ChristenUnie, VVD and D66 see no point in a new open-air swimming pool anyway. They always felt that an outdoor pool was unnecessary. Parties such as GroenLinks/PvdA, CDA and SP would like a swimming pool, but do not think it is responsible to pump so much money into it at the moment.
The fact that the open-air pool is canceled is a major blow for Assen Centraal and City Party PLOP. PLOP leader Henk Santing first tried to remove the council proposal from the agenda, to leave it to the new municipal council in the next administrative period, because of the financial risks that Assen runs with the significant investment. But that attempt failed.
The Christian Union in particular was strongly opposed to this. “I am astonished. We have known for a long time that the swimming pool is a financial risk. Then draw the conclusion and say, we are not doing it. The agreement in the administrative agreement was that we would make a decision during this term of office,” said CU leader Bouke Weening.
D66 and VVD also insisted on PLOP: “Then immediately admit your colors and say that it is simply not possible.” Leefbaar Assen, like PLOP and Assen Centraal, is also in favor of a swimming pool, but not at the expense of the residents. Anita de Rijke: “I understand the consideration of pushing it beyond the elections, but that is contrary to the administrative agreement, an agreement is an agreement. You cannot sell it on postponing the decision again now, not even considering all the costs incurred.”
CDA and SP suggested shelving the current plan with location research, ‘until we are in better financial shape’. But in the end a majority agreed. Seven to eight hundred thousand euros have already been invested in all kinds of research during the past council period. Stopping now is the best choice and no longer giving the residents a bad look.
PLOP leader Santing was seething internally afterwards. He found the council proposal, with the limited choice between Stadsbroek and Baggelhuizerplas and all the surrounding figures, ‘questionable’. “It didn’t really exude the atmosphere that there was a will.”
On Thursday, December 18, the municipal council will finally decide whether to pull the plug on the swimming pool plan.