Municipality of Heiloo votes against rescue plan for the Baafje swimming pool: “Very disappointing”

The disappointment of Willemijn Vermeer of Action Group Red het Baafje is great. “Apparently they do not see the urgency of opening the pool. It is also lame that many council members comment that the motion has been ‘submitted before the stage’. This is very disappointing.”

Role for the municipality

Because the swimming pool operator Stichting Social Leisure has gone bankrupt, the pool that has existed since 1970 will not be able to open next April. Because the municipality owns the land, they can play a role in reopening the swimming pool, but according to the action group, this must happen quickly.

“If this motion had been passed and the cost-benefit analysis had been approved, the councilor would now have had 120,000 euros available and he could have taken action immediately,” Willemijn continues. “Then the inventory could be purchased, something a possible external buyer would not want. Now everything is delayed.”

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In addition to taking over the inventory, work to open the pool cannot now be started. “In the meantime, the pools are becoming polluted and the outdoor area is becoming degraded. In short: the costs are increasing more and more. Downtime is also disastrous for the pumps. It is necessary that the pool opens as quickly as possible,” says Willemijn.

4000 signatures

In the meantime, the Baafje action group is not sitting still. Reactions are pouring in on the Facebook page ‘Red het Baafje’. A signature campaign has also been started. “More than four thousand people have signed. On Wednesday we will give the signatures to the councilor and children will hold a sidewalk chalk campaign. We notice a lot of support from society in Heiloo. The bath should remain there.”

Hope is not completely lost yet. There will be another meeting on March 25 to determine whether and how much money should be made available.