More than 33 million euros for a new swimming pool in Meppel, the municipality wants to allocate 36 million euros for the brand new swimming pool in Hoogeveen and the municipality of Noordenveld is allocating more than twelve million euros for a renovated De Hullen swimming pool. A great perspective for the residents of these municipalities. But how different is it in the municipality that is central to RTV Drenthe today, De Wolden.
The three swimming pools in De Wolden (Swimming Pool Ruinen, De Slenken in de Wijk and De Waterlelie in Zuidwolde) are not in the news because of ambitious new construction plans or millions of investments, but because the municipality has to provide financial support so that the operators can keep their heads above water. How can the financial situation of swimming pools differ so much?
In 2024, the Mulier Institute sketched a picture of swimming pools in the Netherlands, looking in particular at the ownership and operation of the pools and concluded that two-thirds of the swimming pools are owned by the municipality. Not surprisingly, this also applies in the municipalities of Meppel, Noordenveld and Hoogeveen. But since 2017, all three baths in De Wolden have been managed by a foundation, due to budget cuts within the municipality.
Dick Hein has been chairman of the De Waterlelie swimming pool in Zuidwolde since 2022, one of the pools that receives extra subsidy from the municipality for this year. “We can remain open next year, but the subsidies for 2027 still have to be examined.”
Apart from a number of paid staff for supervision in the swimming pool or swimming lessons, for example, De Waterlelie runs entirely on volunteers. Although these people are committed to the swimming pool with heart and soul, working with volunteers also causes problems.
The quantity is, as is often the case in club life, problematic. “Volunteers are very difficult to find. For example, we are often asked to keep the swimming pool open longer outside the summer holidays, but we do not have enough staff for that,” Hein explains. There is also little new growth. “For example, a new multifunctional center has just been opened here in Zuidwolde, which is also largely run by volunteers. So that has actually become a kind of competitor of ours.”
In addition, working with volunteers also poses safety risks, according to Hein. For example, there have recently been new guidelines for water quality in swimming pools. “We as well-intentioned amateurs, with all different backgrounds, actually have very little knowledge of the swimming pool. You have to draw up reports for the water quality, but you can’t actually ask that from volunteers. In places where the swimming pool is managed by the municipality you have staff for that, but with us it has to be done by people who are not qualified. That is actually irresponsible.”
Most parties participating in the elections in De Wolden have included in their party programs that the swimming pools are important to keep open, a signal that Hein had also received from the municipality. “We also have a pretty good relationship with the municipality. But the question remains: what next?”
If we cross the municipal border to Meppel, the perspective for the swimming pool is of a completely different nature. This municipality has released 35 million euros for a brand new swimming pool that should be ready in 2030. But according to responsible councilor Klaas de Vries (Sterk Meppel), it is an investment for the very long term. “We have made the connection with the health of our residents. The new swimming pool can ensure that they grow old in good health.”
Due to the investment in the swimming pool, the municipality must also forego certain investments. But De Vries sees that a swimming pool has a broader social function than just a sports facility. “There is a strategy behind it. You can also invest in a community center, but we think that the combination of sports and social is important. The general value of a bath is therefore considered much greater.”
De Wolden will look at the situation in Meppel with a bit of jealousy. “I also see all the staff walking around at swimming pools in other municipalities,” says Dick Hein. “We have to make do with the approximately 140,000 euros that we receive in subsidies per year and we are very busy trying to get it all done.”
Another important election theme in De Wolden is the arrival of wind turbines. In Drenthe Now we pay attention to this. View the report below:
