Uzice gets indoor swimming pool in 2012 - City invests in promotion of water polo and swimming sports

Starting autumn 2012, the citizens of Uzice will be able to swim not only in the cold river Djetinja, but also in a swimming pool. As it is announced, construction of an indoor swimming pool complex in the city center, worth 3 million euros, should commence in spring 2011.

- The citizens and guests of Uzice have so far had at their disposal only the city beach on the river that is quite cold because the Djetinja is a mountain river. We also don't have an indoor swimming pool, which means that neither water polo nor swimming sports are available in Uzice. For more than 20 years, the citizens of Uzice have been waiting for at least one of the announced swimming pools to be opened – Predrag Galovic, a member of the City Council of Uzice, explains in an interview for eKapija.

The complex at 4,500 square meters will include swimming pools, sauna, fitness center, gym, hydro-massage bath, restaurant, cafe and outlets for various purposes.

- Dimensions of the planned swimming pool should be 25 x 33 meters, which is something between semi-Olympic and Olympic pool. It will have 8 lanes 25 meters long, which will enable organization of swimming contests in Uzice – Dusan Nikolic, the owner of Uzice-based Konstruktor, the company responsible for the look of the indoor swimming pool, says for eKapija.

People in Uzice expect a tender for the contractor to be announced in March and the construction to commence already in April. As we were told by the City Council member, the whole project should be finished prior to autumn 2012.

- A total of 75 million dinars should be earmarked in the city budget for 2011 for the commencement of construction, and the same amount should be earmarked in the budget for 2012. We have applied for a grant of 150 million dinars from the NIP in 2011 and 2012. Therefore, a total of 300 million dinars is needed for the whole project. We have been promised that we will get the funds for this project if we prepare the required documentation on time – says Predrag Galovic.

Galovic points out that the construction of the indoor swimming pool is very significant for development of sports in Uzice. He underlines that kids will have a chance to learn to swim, that the swimming pool can be used for physical activities of school kids, as well as for the activities of a future water polo club in that city.