However, the town hall and the indoor swimming pool were the most affected. An estimated 4.4 million euros must be raised solely for the renovation of the technical equipment of the indoor pool. An amount that Lebach could not have managed on its own.
During his recent visit to the Lebach town hall, Interior Minister Reinhold Jost assured financial support from the state amounting to around 90 percent of the reported damages. Since it is not enough to simply restore the status quo, but necessary to carry out the reconstruction in a flood-resistant manner, the city of Lebach will receive, in addition to immediate aid and funds from the state budget for the removal of flood damage, special grants. Interior Minister Reinhold Jost explains this as follows: "The indoor swimming pool is particularly important for the city of Lebach and its citizens: it is not only visited by many families and senior citizens but also by numerous guests from neighboring municipalities. In addition, a total of 16 schools use it for swimming lessons, including the state special schools Louis Braille and Ruth Schaumann. The police, the Bundeswehr, and four local DLRG branches are also regular users of the swimming pool. Against this background, a renovation is essential."
Lebach's mayor Klauspeter Brill explains: "We renovated our indoor swimming pool in 2009 and 2010 using our own funds. The repayment of the loan taken for this is still ongoing. The renovation now required due to the flooding represents an enormous burden on the city’s budget and cannot be carried out by us alone nor solely with the immediate assistance funds. This is especially true considering that the repairs must not only restore the original condition but also take precautions against possible future flooding events of this kind. We have repeatedly emphasized this in discussions with the minister and made clear how important the indoor swimming pool is for Lebach." With the minister’s commitment, the way is now clear for reconstruction. "I would therefore like to take this opportunity to once again thank Minister Jost and the state government for the quick and unbureaucratic help. Likewise, I thank the members of the city council." In its most recent meeting last Thursday, the council passed a fundamental resolution and tasked the administration with initiating the necessary steps towards a flood-optimized reconstruction of the indoor swimming pool. "It will still take some time, but now we have a perspective that our indoor pool will reopen," the mayor concludes.
