Manacor City Council is reopening the municipal swimming pool, which will reopen to the public this year.

ManacorFinally, the municipal swimming pool in Manacor is the source of some good news. After being closed for almost five years by court order while the bankruptcy proceedings and various lawsuits filed by the concessionaire against the City Council were resolved, the facility will be back under the control of the local administration within 15 days. This was announced on Monday by the head of the City Council's sports department, Llorenç Mesquida, who confirmed that the Council will have to pay €64,696.57 to activate the reversion agreement, at which point the process will begin for Manacor to regain ownership. "Today is an important day. We are very pleased to have signed the agreement." Now, for the next few days, an external company will conduct an audit to determine the exact condition of both the building and the equipment in order to issue a report outlining improvements, renovations, and costs. This will be useful for the future concession that the City Council will put out to tender again "as soon as possible," which will include any renovations to be amortized within an agreed-upon timeframe. Mesquida also confirmed that the Manacor municipal swimming pool will reopen in 2026. "The intention is to put the concession out to tender so that the procedures allow us to open this year," although everything suggests it will be after summer and ready to start the autumn-winter season. The concession for the municipal swimming pool was awarded in 1997 for a period of 30 years, with the construction and operation of the facilities the responsibility of the concessionary company Esquitxos de Blavor SL. The works were completed in 1998, and for more than two decades, the pool served the community. Until 2021, when, after several disagreements between the City Council and the concessionaire for the maintenance of the facility, Esquitxos filed for bankruptcy and closed the swimming pools.

More than 300,000 euros outstanding

If, for the time being, these almost €64,700 allow the Manacor City Council to reverse the situation and regain control of the swimming pool for a new concession, a judgment for more than €300,000 remains pending. The Council would have to pay this amount if it is determined that the company suffered losses in its dealings with the municipal administration. "We'll see what happens in the end, because it's also possible that the City Council could claim damages since the concessionaire decided to terminate the contract prematurely."