2023-11-07 13:21:17
Going to the swimming pool costs more and more, especially if you choose a pool that is not located in your town. This has been common practice for several years: municipalities charge a preferential rate.
At Spa for example, the swimming pool will soon open. If you live in the town, you will have to pay 4.50 euros. But if you are not from Spadois, it will cost you 7 euros. Amounts that make swimmers’ teeth grind. Among them, Marina. She lives in Theux, and it is in Verviers that she will continue to come swimming. “First of all, I don’t really like the distinction, but what’s more, the price difference is really huge. 7 euros is expensive” she testifies.
Why this distinction?
Because, according to its supporters, those who pay taxes in the municipality where the swimming pool is located already participate in its financing. This is the case in Visé for example. “We, as a Visé entity, meet the public service needs of municipalities which do not have a swimming pool” explains Julien Woolf, city sports alderman. “Personally, I would be in favor of charging the same price, and in this case, I invite neighboring municipalities to create an intermunicipal association with Visé so that we can offer the same service to everyone, at the same price.”
However, not all municipalities make this distinction. This is the case in Verviers, as Antoine Lukoki, the sports alderman, explains: “In Verviers, a swim costs 3.80 euros for an adult, and 3.10 euros for a child. We did not want to make a distinction because we find that a swimming pool is a tool at the service of a region, and we did not want to create discrimination between the different populations, especially since it allows populations who never come to Verviers to come to Verviers and then benefit from commerce or other things in Verviers. This creates also economic flow for our city center.”
The Verviers swimming pool also received aid from the Walloon Region. Enough to encourage more attractive entry prices.
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