The municipal council wants to redevelop the swimming pool, but the finances are lacking. Tourism Minister Lex Delles is now hinting at state aid.
Discussions are going well
Nadine Schartz
The municipal council wants to redevelop the swimming pool, but the finances are lacking. Tourism Minister Lex Delles is now hinting at state aid.
Since the end of the 2019 summer season, the open-air swimming pool in Vianden has been closed. The municipal officials have concrete plans for the swimming pool to become a new local, regional and tourist attraction in the future. But there is a catch: funding.
After the subject was already discussed at the end of October in the municipal council, the council of aldermen presents the related concept at the meeting on Thursday. The redevelopment of the site with a new modern and sustainable concept is expected to cost around 15 million euros. The basic renovation alone would amount to nine million euros, Alderman Kevin Pereira Esteves explained during the council meeting at the end of October.
To meet this large sum, the municipality hopes to obtain a substantial contribution from the State. According to Mayor Claude Tonino, this was promised orally. But a letter from the Ministry of Tourism swept away that hope. Due to a lack of detailed data, including budgetary data, the grant application must be reformulated, it is written there. The letter would not contain additional commitments “going beyond what is usual”. In this case, the State’s participation would be 50%.
A debate that goes beyond municipal borders
During the meeting, however, it was clarified that the outdoor swimming pool could only be built with the help of the grants. Without support, the municipality could not afford the project and the swimming pool would remain closed. The interest in this topic beyond municipal boundaries became clear soon after the meeting, when CSV MPs Martine Hansen and Max Hengel tabled a parliamentary question with Tourism Minister Lex Delles (DP), asking for details on support for such projects.
In his response, Lex Delles indicates that the general direction of tourism has taken note of the project “with great interest”. At the same time, it refers to the five-year program which governs all financial participation in such large projects. Funding requests should contain concrete plans and cost estimates.
The municipality must plan the project in detail
“However, in the absence of more precise data, in particular budgetary data, on the project in question and given its size, it is hardly possible to make a firm financial commitment within the framework of the current five-year programme”, he specifies.
It nevertheless gives reason for hope: given that the program ends on December 31, 2022, the new edition will include various novelties which should ensure greater predictability and transparency of investments and financing participations. “This is why the general direction of Tourism proposes to the municipality of Vianden to concretize its project and to reformulate its request within the framework of the new five-year plan”, explains Lex Delles.
A hope emanating from the minister
If the bill on the five-year plan recently submitted is adopted, the municipality will be able to count on a maximum subsidy of 50%. As this aid can be combined with other state subsidies, we could also count on an injection of funds from the Ministry of Sports. But its amount has not yet been fixed. “Ultimately, full state support for the project can only be presented after consultation between the two ministries concerned and the establishment of a detailed financing plan,” the statement concludes.
The suspense therefore remains as to the evolution of the situation concerning the outdoor swimming pool. Additional information and advice is expected to be given at the board meeting on Thursday.
This article was first published on wort.lu/de.
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Hope for a reopening of the Vianden swimming pool
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