Candelaria Launches €10 Million Tender for Long-Awaited Indoor Swimming Pool

The tender for Candelaria’s new indoor swimming pool has officially been published in the Official Journal of the European Union, marking a major milestone after a decade of administrative delays. According to the city council, the project has a budget of nearly €10 million and is expected to take 24 months to complete. Bids for the construction contract will be accepted until May 6.

The facility will be built on a 3,210-square-meter site currently used as a parking lot near the Los Menceyes rambla and the Punta Larga school—a project residents have been calling for since 2014. The final design features two pools: a main 25-meter pool and a smaller 10-meter pool for lessons and multipurpose use. The complex will also include a gym, rooms for fitness classes, changing facilities, and 63 underground parking spaces.

Getting to this stage has been a long and difficult process. After a 2018 attempt failed due to political disputes and legal issues, the city council had to overhaul the project’s financial plan. Updating the budget to reflect current market prices was a necessary step following the awarding of the design contract in January 2023.

Local officials see this as a key achievement in expanding the town’s sports facilities. Mayor Mari Brito praised the persistence required to overcome past hurdles, while Councilor for Planning and Urban Management Reinaldo Triviño described the tender as the fulfillment of a long-standing promise to the community. Once finished, the center is expected to provide a vital space for health and wellness, finally resolving a project that has been a subject of political debate for the last three terms.