The closed swimming pool Bergen op Zoom has been dangerous for years

For years, the De Schelp pool in Bergen op Zoom has been in a dangerous situation. Nothing has been done with two inspection reports from 2015 and 2016 that warned against corrosion of bolts and nuts. It was not until March 2018 that the pool was suddenly closed.

The two inspection reports of the consulting firm Cobra were revealed after local councilor Louis van der Kallen (Bergse Sociaal Democraten) invoked the law on public access. 19659002] The documents show that the board in September 2015 for the first time warned. In the construction of the roof and in the fixation of the disco lighting and the slide there was rust.

Rust in the bolts from which the speakers hang

It is striking that Cobra detects the corrosion of several large speakers. In November 2011, a box of speakers fell into a swimming pool in Tilburg. In addition, a five-month-old baby was killed.

As a result of this accident, the pool management had to check how their supporting structures were ready. The use of "non-resistant" stainless steel in swimming pools was also prohibited as chlorine quickly degrades the material

New Warning

In May 2016, Cobra issued a new warning after a thorough inspection . Again, it was found that the suspension of the speakers at different places in the pool, also above the wading pool, was rusty. The bolts used to secure one of the stepping stones also showed signs of corrosion.

However, the pool remained open until March of this year. Then, it was suddenly closed by the municipality. Director Boris van der Linden from De Schelp told Omroep Brabant: "We knew that stainless steel was used in the construction of the roof during construction in 1999. We did further research on the construction of the roof. state of this stainless steel. bolts and nuts in the support structure, and corrosion was found. "

Incomprehensible that nothing has happened

Council member Van der Kallen is furious that the warnings of 2015 and 2016 have been ignored." It is incomprehensible that the shortcomings of the De Schelp swimming pool Have not been resolved, "he says to Omroep Brabant." The inspectors have even written: "If there is no money or time to replace all the bolts, do some extra research on the bolts that are the worst. "But that did not happen either. "

Van der Kallen submits a second WOB query to see what happened at the building's tender call." After a meeting with a number of alumni aldermen, I think the people who run out of money are doing things that they should not have done. "

The experience is addressed

The Bergen City Council op Zoom To renovate the pool, De Schelp reports on the website: "The stainless steel in the support structure will be replaced, the major maintenance planned in the coming years will be advanced, a battle will be made in sustainability and experience will be significantly addressed. "During the year 2019, the bath could be reopened.