Lhe news quickly circulated among the elected officials of the communes of the Sud Médoc canton: the municipality of Lacanau has decided to withdraw from the intercommunal swimming pool project carried out by the Médullienne Community of Communes and the town of Saint-Aubin-du-Médoc. This project, launched in 2019 and aimed at creating aquatic facilities in the territory of Sainte-Hélène by 2028, initially saw the participation of the towns of Lacanau and Carcans, which, being part of the Médoc Atlantique community of communes, were located near the future swimming pool. If Carcans remains committed to the initiative, Lacanau has changed course.
Other major projects planned
According to the CdC Médoc Atlantique, “Lacanau has other priorities, particularly with its expenses linked to erosion. At the same time, the town could access a quality swimming pool thanks to a private project led by a local campsite. » Contacted by “Sud Ouest”, the campsite in question does not deny the information, but prefers to remain cautious. Indeed, this tourist operator, who met with the municipality of Lacanau last spring, plans to modernize its aquatic area by adding a swimming pool with four water lines. Which corresponds to the demand of its customers. As part of a public-private partnership, the municipality and the campsite could thus agree to allow the organization of the school swimming cycle in this new swimming pool. A similar model already exists with the Capfun campsite in Talaris, although the latter's small pool limits learning and attendance.
The mayor explains
Laurent Peyrondet, the mayor of Lacanau, evokes the financial context to explain the change in position of the town hall. “We are launching work on the beach plan at Moutchic. There is also the study for the new waterfront protection work. In all of these projects, there will be an outlay for the community. In the times we are experiencing, we must be careful. The campsite swimming pool project, which is being carried out on municipal land, allows us to avoid an additional investment, which was not neutral for our community. You have to be pragmatic.”
The community project is moving forward
On the side of the Médullienne Community of Communes, we claim to have received no official confirmation of Lacanau's withdrawal from the swimming pool project, although the information has circulated among elected officials. However, Didier Phoenix, mayor of Brach and vice-president in charge of the aquatic equipment project, believes that “if Lacanau withdraws, this will not call into question the viability of the project, nor the community financing of the swimming pool. » He recalls that, “between Médullienne, Carcans and Saint-Aubin-du-Médoc, we reach a total population of 33,000 to 34,000 inhabitants, which corresponds to the living area of the towns of Eysines and Haillan, which have also jointly carried out the Pinsan intercommunal swimming pool project. »
Concerning the location of the future swimming pool, Didier Phoenix confirms that the chosen site is indeed in Sainte-Hélène, in the Gemeillan activity zone, on the edge of the RD 1 215. Lionel Montillaud, mayor of Sainte-Hélène, has already offered land to enable the project to be carried out and kept its commitments. Initially estimated at 14 million euros, the investment for this aquatic equipment has been reassessed at 10 million euros. “We decided to favor the construction of a 25-meter pool with six water lines and a learning pool for children. The well-being part of the project will be considered in a second phase, for financial reasons. Very soon, we will launch the call for tenders for the project management assistance mission,” indicates Didier Phoenix.
