Balvi pool needs urgent repairs as municipality seeks funding
Wednesday 5th August 2026 on 06:00 in
Latvia
Balvi Municipality urgently needs to find at least 80,000 euros to repair the town’s swimming pool, LSM reports. The pool’s basin membrane has deteriorated significantly and can no longer be used safely.
The pool is usually closed during the summer, but concerns are already growing about the new season. The membrane, which has been in use for more than 15 years, has separated from the pool’s walls and floor.
“The film may be deforming, causing cracks somewhere, allowing water to get underneath it, between the concrete structure of the pool and the film,” Balvi Municipal Council chair Jānis Trupovnieks of the Latvian Green Party said.
Ludmila Beļikova, director of Balvi Sports School, also expressed concern. The pool has been managed by the school since 2010.
“We cannot say how the membrane will react when we have to fill the pool with water, replace it and clean the pool, and we are waiting for that moment with concern. But, in principle, the plan is for us to resume operations,” Beļikova said.
The municipality estimates that the urgent repairs would cost about 80,000 euros, but says this would only be a short-term solution. A project to fully renovate the building was prepared last year, but the municipality has so far failed to secure external funding.
“This is a very energy-intensive project. The heat recovery and ventilation systems, as well as the insulation, have reached the end of their service life. Last winter already showed that there was indoor condensation and corrosion,” Trupovnieks said.
He said he hoped additional support for municipalities in Latgale and border municipalities could provide a source of funding.
If state support is not secured, the municipality hopes to obtain the Finance Ministry’s approval to repay part of a municipal loan at a later date.
In January 2024, the municipality’s leadership at the time reported a budget deficit of 4.8 million euros. According to Trupovnieks, this is a decisive year in which most of the municipality’s loans must be repaid.