It has now been ten days since the Remparts de Sélestat swimming pool, in the Bas-Rhin, south of Strasbourg, remains closed to the public. Thursday, October 28, in the middle of the night, a room has indeed dropped in an air extraction system of public equipment.
A big yellow machine located in the bowels of the site. An unforeseeable failure, but which prevents any opening of the swimming pool, explains Fabrice Stoltz, its director. “We had a big unpredictable problem, we have an air extraction motor from the air handling unit of the sports pool which has literally exploded. This no longer works, and the air quality is not compatible with the reception of the public“explains the manager.
Because this machine is essential for the air laden with gas linked to chlorine to be evacuated. “If we insist on doing intensive sports activities, we can theoretically go as far as discomfort, we don’t want that for visitors and staff “ details Fabrice Stoltz.
The town hall has so far decided to only open the swimming pool early in the morning, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., for swimming clubs, under very strict conditions of use, with a long ventilation before the arrival of the bathers.
Meanwhile, the town hall is trying to solve the problem. But in this period of the Covid-19 epidemic, the deadlines for obtaining spare parts are lengthening. “The company we work with gives us very long lead times, due to a shortage of materials and raw materials. There are no more stocks, so when you want something, the lead times are very long “ explains the site manager.
– Antoine Balandra
The town hall and the company that manages the maintenance have therefore worked hard to try to offer a makeshift repair. Who is on test all weekend. “Available parts have been used. Others came out to be remanufactured. But not sure it works“Fabrice Stoltz notes.
Open to allow learning to swim
If a temporary solution is not finally found, the schoolchildren of Sélestat and the general public could be deprived of a swimming pool from this Monday, November 8, for the start of the school year.
A damaging situation after the closures already linked to COVID.
“It’s been since 2020, between periods of confinement, reopening and then in January we were only reopened to a certain type of public“sighs Jean-Baptiste Leblond, sports director at the town hall of Sélestat. The general reopening of this facility, built in 2009, did not finally take place until May.”We have seen with professionals, PE teachers and teachers, that there are learning difficulties for children to swim, so it happens at the wrong time, but we are doing everything to reopen quickly“he explains.
Those in charge of the swimming pool are therefore now crossing their fingers. For the spare part arrives quickly in Alsace despite the shortages linked to Covid. Or that the makeshift repair holds. Pending confirmation, the swimming pool remains closed until further notice.