Le Figaro Marseille
Walking along the waters bordering the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Mucem), it is hard to imagine that swimmers could one day venture there.
And yet, diving enthusiasts could soon jump in with both feet.
This is the promise of the future
Mucem
“swimming pool” , the opening of which is scheduled for the end of next June.
The project, called
“J4 basin”
, could accommodate hundreds of swimmers daily throughout the summer period in a 3,000 square meter swimming area.
A boon for athletes, local residents and children in the 2nd arrondissement of Marseille, cut off from access to a municipal swimming pool.
This tempting promise is carried by the Marseille town hall, which outlined its outlines a little more Thursday morning to respond to the
“existential anxieties”
of part of the municipal opposition, particularly in the ranks of the right.
The latter judges in particular that the cost of constructing the basin is
“exorbitant”
.
“With a budget of 6.5 million euros over three years for three months of opening each year, that’s a million euros per month.
We must ask ourselves if this money is well used.
I think not
,” complains Didier Réault, vice-president of the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis delegate for the sea and member of the opposition on the municipal council (LR).
Already postponed for the first time to 2023
However, everything was going well for the Mucem basin.
On paper, the construction and development of this
open-air
“swimming pool” required
“only”
2 million euros and was to be inaugurated in the summer of 2023. Its opening was finally postponed to 2024
“for reasons safety reasons"
, the anti-swell device present in the waters of the quays risks
"sucking in swimmers"
.
Concerning the increase in the cost of the project, which has tripled in the space of a few months, the town hall explains that this new envelope of 6.5 million euros will notably allow the purchase of removable and reusable equipment for the next ten years.
“These funds will be used for assembly, cleaning, storage, monitoring and maintenance of the site.
“It’s much cheaper than a swimming pool
,” explains Hervé Menchon, deputy mayor of Marseille in charge of the coast.
Last year, the same file was presented in February, and it was postponed.
I fear that the city of Marseille will continue in the realm of the ephemeral and in the paradise of the subliminal.
Didier Réault, vice-president of the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis
Another issue raised by the right: the probable pollution of the site, caused by the daily passage of bathers for around ten hours a day.
“This is a problem that is probably not under control.
Where are the pollution studies and what techniques will be used to manage it?
, continues Didier Réault, who doubts that the call for tenders launched by the town hall to carry out the work on the basin could be completed four months before its theoretical opening.
“Last year, the same file was presented in February, and it was postponed.
I fear that the city of Marseille will continue in the realm of the ephemeral and in the paradise of the subliminal
,” tackles Didier Réault.
The town hall, for its part, does not budge and assures that the project will be carried out, promising to deliver a
“very ambitious”
project restoring to the city
“a link with the sea”
.
In the meantime, it must still sign an agreement with the metropolis for the exploitation of the space, of which the latter is the owner.
“This agreement was sent to us at the beginning of the week.
It should arrive on my desk soon
,” promises Hervé Menchon.
This Friday, the new financing of the basin will also be presented to the municipal council, certainly risking causing some commotion.