Carona Swimming Pool

Urgent interventions regarding the facility's systems and structure (electrical installations, roof insulation, interventions on the pool systems) have been estimated at over CHF 250,000, to which must be added the management costs for personnel expenses amounting to CHF 245,000 (including social charges).

The outcome of the oppositions filed against the amendment to the zoning plan effectively blocks the designed and agreed development of the area as well as the implementation of the design credits approved by the City Parliament. The City Council hopes for a positive outcome that will unblock the situation and allow the development of the area within a reasonable timeframe. As a precautionary measure, a reopening could be envisaged, with the planned works lasting over a two‐year period, for the period 2027–2028.

Public interest must be weighed, on one hand, against the reality of the facts (the beach facility, compared to centers of the same type and size such as Valgersa or Capriasca, has a user percentage below 50%) and, on the other hand, against the need for high extraordinary investments that are both unjustified and inexcusable in light of a strategy by the City Council - approved by the City Parliament - which, as a reminder, foresees a relaunch of the entire sector in collaboration with the TCS Glamping project, with an estimated investment of CHF 10.5 million for the City. (construction of new pools, construction of a new central building, construction of a multipurpose hall for the district).

It is also recalled that any investments to bring the current systems up to code—with purely palliative interventions estimated by industry experts at CHF 500,000 (excluding costs related to the electrical installations, bringing the existing pool up to code, and further unquantified expenses for inspecting the existing equipment and piping)—would not guarantee the normal activation of the facility. Specialists have furthermore confirmed to the City Council that such investments would not be recoverable for the construction of the new pools and new systems envisaged in the project currently under development and momentarily blocked by oppositions.

The Carona Pool remains closed, without any maintenance work, during the period from November to February: the only significant activities are centered on the use of the changing rooms by the students of the Insema Grouping, who still do not benefit from an adequate facility at the nearby football field (it should be recalled in this regard that the Association X Carona opposed the construction of changing rooms in the football field area - an opposition due in particular to the lack of a vision for relaunching the entire pool area. Today, the same association opposes the very relaunch vision it so strongly demanded from the City Council in 2014). The preparation phase for the annual June opening, given the large size of the area, actually begins in March and continues until the end of May: mowing the grass and hedges, cleaning and inspecting the wooded area, painting and filling the pools, checking the systems, and carrying out other minor maintenance work. During the months of September and October, decommissioning work on the systems is carried out, along with cleaning and securing the entire facility for the winter, mowing the grass, and performing other ordinary maintenance tasks. Consequently, it would make no sense to open the pool for just two months a year since the management and maintenance costs would essentially remain unchanged.

The accessibility of the green spaces to the public is precluded due to safety concerns. It is recalled that within the premises, during the months when the pool is closed, there is the 50‑meter central swimming pool, the 10‑meter diving board, and a whole series of structures which, if not guarded and secured, risk causing serious harm to users. For the reasons listed and due to the need to invest significant personnel resources anyway, such an option is consequently excluded.

The City Council and the City Parliament have long taken the necessary steps to ensure the opening and attractiveness of the Carona Pool, and the amendment to the zoning plan is one of the two fundamental building blocks. In this regard, it is recalled that years of work and public investments were spent on the architecture competition, and that the realization of the project is scheduled in the Investment Plan. In defining the financial priorities for the coming years, one must inevitably assume the definitive closure of the entire complex.