“The old one was friendly but a little rustic. » The ironic phrase from Didier Bazot, co-president of the Sablé-sur-Sarthe canoe-kayak club (CKCS), summed up the situation well, Saturday October 12, 2024, during the inauguration of the new nautical base. This renovation has been awaited for more than three decades.
“I arrived at the sports department in 1984. The club did not exist since it was created in 1986, following a nautical festival, under the leadership of Olivier Cheminade and François Ripault. Since then, everyone has been waiting for this base. She’s here! Finally… “, underlined Didier Bazot.
“We’ve all worn out our short pants here”
The place had remained in its original state all these years. A piece of local sporting history, whose foundations date back to the middle of the last century, to the heyday of the mini-stadium and the Henri-Royer swimming pool. “In the parking lot, it was an athletics track. I went there when I was little,” remembers Jean-Pierre Ferrand, deputy mayor in charge of built heritage and housing.
“When we were still schoolchildren, we all wore out our short pants here. I practiced sailing in an Optimist with my former teacher Alain, who is here today,” testified Nicolas Leudière, the mayor of Sablé-sur-Sarthe, in his speech.
Elected officials, current and former Sabolian kayakers, including the founding presidents: there were crowds to discover the premises, finally worthy of the CKCS, which shines on a national scale with its results. “We managed to find as many people as possible,” appreciated Didier Bazot.
Read also: Sablé-sur-Sarthe. Work on the canoe-kayak base has started, delivery planned for summer 2024
All these beautiful people were able to visit. “We kept the framework but the interior was completely demolished,” presents Nicolas Renou, deputy mayor in charge of sports. Licensees can now benefit from more spacious changing rooms and toilets meeting PMR standards (people with reduced mobility), where boys and girls are no longer obliged to share.
“We prefer these!” The showers are nice and hot and the guys can’t bother us by turning off the water anymore.” smiled young graduates present. This is important when we know that out of seventy members, there are around ten women this season. The supervisors also have their own locker room. “We no longer have to change on the go, in the toilets,” appreciates Vincent Froger, co-president and distinguished veteran of the club.
Water collector and solar panels
A reception area, with office and meeting room of more than 20 m2has been added. “Being in a flood zone, we only had the right to a percentage of the existing one for the extension,” recalled the sports assistant. “However, as we explained to the state services: a nautical base at the water’s edge is not surprising,” the first councilor gently poked.
No problem, however, for the 200 m2 fenced and secure enclosures which are used to store equipment and boats, water being able to enter and exit without hindrance in the event of flooding. The new building is also equipped with a 5,000 liter rainwater collector, with a pump and tap for cleaning boats. It also has photovoltaic panels which will be used for the hot water tank.
The municipality took advantage of the construction site to redevelop the surrounding area. “We replaced the laurel hedges with wooden cladding. This increased the budget but allowed us to redo the sidewalks on rue Michel-Veille and the parking lot,” indicates Jean-Pierre Ferrand, the building assistant.
The bulk of the work began in November 2023, forcing the club to relocate during last season to the rowing neighbors on the other shore. The total investment reached €615,000. “It was planned in our budget. We got some grants,” reported the mayor and his sports deputy. The Department, represented on Saturday by councilor Martine Crnkovic, notably helped to the tune of €80,000.
