The Unterhaching municipal council recently received a surprising visit from the neighboring municipality. Stephan Reiners from Ottobrunn, who is closely connected to the community as the supervisory board of Bürgerenergie, thanked them for the beautiful leisure facilities, the sports field at the Hachinger Halle and of course the outdoor pool. The actual reason for his appearance: The discussion about a possible closure of the pool has made waves – even as far as Ottobrunn. Since Thursday evening, however, it has been clear in Unterhaching: the outdoor pool should open on May 14th. The plug is not pulled despite the precarious budgetary situation, but the prices are higher and the water is colder.
An outdoor pool is usually a financial burden for local authorities, and Unterhaching is no exception. “It’s always a loss-making facility. There is no outdoor pool that is in the black,” said Stefan Lauszat, head of the department responsible for local development in the finance committee. Just under a week before the municipal council voted on the new budget, he had to deal with what the municipality can still do after the repayment of twelve million euros in trade tax. “Can we open the outdoor pool, how much deficit can we afford?” These were the questions that have come up since the budget freeze in October and also startled bathers.
Mayor Wolfgang Panzer (SPD) said: “I’m glad that this was publicly discussed.” This is the basic message from the citizens: Please open up, even if it costs more. This finding is not particularly surprising in the town hall either. It is well known there that the open-air pool is popular: more than 150,000 bathers come here every year for sporting activities, refreshment and relaxation. In a survey conducted by a radio station four years ago, the pool was ranked fifth in Bavaria and 27th nationwide. “For many people, it’s an integral part of their social life during the summer months,” says Lauszat.
However, the operation of the outdoor pool will be a lot more expensive this year due to the increased energy costs. Lauszat sees savings potential in lowering the water temperature. Although the outdoor pool is connected to geothermal energy, its energy is not free either. The connected load is to be reduced, thereby extending the heating-up phase of the water, which is initially about eight degrees cold and is let in in March or April. As a result, it was one to two degrees cooler than usual at the start of the season, according to Lauszat.
Another possible source of income: parking fees
However, the municipality cannot save on the water itself. 30 liters of fresh water per day and per guest are the specifications for the operators. Once a year, the pools must also be completely let in and out. There should also be no compromises with the staff. After all, this is about the safety of bathers, emphasized Lauszat. The lifeguards are also the ones who keep things running, as the pool supervisors work on a rolling basis. Nobody can look at the water all day long. How well this works is shown by the fact that there have only been two heart attack incidents in the past five years. Those affected were rescued and have been visiting the pool regularly to this day.
There will also continue to be a ticket booth.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
The committee finally agreed to continue to staff the box office to sell individual tickets. However, their prices are to be increased by one euro. Adults then pay six euros, children and young people four euros; Reduced tickets are also available for four euros. The season tickets will also continue to exist. For adults, they will be increased by 20 euros to 95, for children and young people by 10 euros to 40, reduced tickets now cost 70 euros and family tickets instead of the previous 85 from this season to 120 euros. In addition, foreign schools should pay admission in the future. CSU parliamentary group spokesman Korbinian Rausch suggested another source of income with the idea of introducing parking fees.