At almost 50 years old, they still have a future. On the occasion of the May bridges, six swimming pools in the Seine Valley will be the scene of punctual activities allowing residents to swim for... 1 euro. On May 19, the basins of Poissy, Les Mureaux, Verneuil, Andrésy and Porcheville, will be open at this only modest rate. Children will be able to enjoy entertainment and meet lifeguards* from these pools, which have the distinction of being among the oldest in the region.
This operation is a reminder that old equipment is not necessarily shunned by users. Better still, "Sunflower" pools, such as the one in Porcheville, continue to attract a regular audience despite a remarkable density of modern infrastructure in the area.
The absence of slides, whirlpools or diving boards does not prevent these swimmers from taking a dip in these pools imagined in the years to the late 1970s to allow all children to learn to swim.
"Here, it's not the rush"
"That there is the minimum, it does not bother me, confides Vanessa. I come here to swim with my son, quietly. The lifeguards are very nice, pedagogues. They take their time, make jokes to children. I tested Aubergenville or Mantes which are all recent but it's not the same atmosphere. There, it's a bit like the factory, it's armored, "adds this mother from Follainville-Dennemont.
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In front of the entrance, we also meet Ibrahima from Mantes-la-Jolie with his nephews. However, there is a brand new equipment in his commune. And in nearby Mantes-la-Ville, a modern swimming pool. "But here, it's quieter, there are fewer people, it's not the crowd," smiles the young man whose words are similar to those of Ophélie: "It's like the beach, I prefer small addresses to quiet than the beautiful crowded beaches and bling-bling of the Côte d'Azur! "
Fewer people, cheaper... but also defects
Another argument: price. Normally in Poissy, Les Mureaux, Verneuil, Andrésy and Porcheville, the adult rate is 3.50 euros (4.80 euros for those who do not live in the GPSEO agglomeration). In comparison, the larger structures in the sector, such as Aqualude in Mantes-la-Jolie and Aquasport in Mantes-la-Ville, which have recently lowered their prices, are accessible at 5.45 euros (6.45 euros excluding GPSEO). Gaps that are also found for passes: count between 35 and 48 euros in the first (12 entries), about fifty euros for the second (10 passes).
This unchanging interest in these local infrastructures with an inimitable architectural style should not make us forget that they also have defects. For example, they are more energy-intensive than modern swimming pools and are not able to cope with the influx of many bathers.
Some cities have decided to conserve their Sunflower while modernizing them. This is the case in Beauvais (Oise) where the municipality destroyed its old swimming pool to rebuild it identically by adapting it to the latest practices in force.
* Poissy-Migneaux: from 9:30 am to 11:30 am; Poissy-Saint-Exupéry: from 14 p.m. to 17 p.m.; Verneuil-sur-Seine: from 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.; Andrésy, Les Mureaux-Bècheville, Porcheville: from 14 p.m. to 16:30 p.m.