According to the city, the building that now houses the indoor swimming pool, cloakrooms and a restaurant is not very energy efficient and is in poor structural condition. The technical systems for the ice rink and the treatment of the bathing water are outdated, and the cooling pipes for the ice rink for free ice skating are severely corroded.
The city of Bern has already held an architectural competition. The planned project envisages a new building made of wood and reinforced concrete for an indoor swimming pool with a 25-meter pool, a teaching pool and a paddling area.
In the future there will be an ice rink in the basement of the new building and the new outdoor ice rink on the east side. The new indoor swimming pool will be heated with waste heat from the ice rink.
Green liberals and liberals pointed out the high costs of the project. The city actually couldn’t afford this investment. But it would be unfair if sports facilities had to pay the bill for the red-green majority’s failed financial policy.
No artificial ice
A rejection request from the GB/JA faction, which wanted to have the use of synthetic ice examined, had no chance. The majority of the council found that artificial ice was still technically inadequate and environmentally problematic.
Fundamental criticism of the new ice facility also came from the ranks of the Green Free List. Ice hockey and figure skating became popular in colder times and fit poorly into the era of climate change.
One could ask whether the public sector should still support these resource-intensive sports. “If I snooze for one or two hours, I need the same amount of energy as a household of four does for a whole day,” calculated Tanja Miljanovic (GFL).
Ice systems essential
However, ice facilities are indispensable for many Bernese people. Sport also contributes a lot to social cohesion and promotes physical and mental health. The city council passed the bill with 48 votes to 2 and 19 abstentions.
If the people approve the proposal, the excavators can operate in the Weyerli in mid-2027. The construction work is expected to take a good three years.
(sda)
