Lakeside lido is to be expanded

On Tuesday evening, the 164 eligible voters present at the Walchwil approved a planning loan of CHF 250,000 for the expansion of the Walchwil Seebad.
 

The Walchwil summer municipal meeting began with a sporting honour: the local netball players became Swiss champions for the third time in a row this year. They received enthusiastic applause at Tuesday evening's meeting from the 164 eligible voters who braved the heat and made their way to the community hall (Gemeindesaal). But they didn't have to sweat for too long, as the meeting was over in just under an hour.

There were six agenda items to discuss, which were dealt with relatively quickly. Both loan applications for new photovoltaic (PV) systems were unanimously approved: one for CHF 220,000 for a system on the flat roof of the Oeltrotten school building and another for CHF 160,000 for a system on the flat roof of the Lienisberg sports building.

The application for the PV system on the roof of the Oeltrotten school building had already been submitted to the municipal assembly last December. At that time, however, there was a motion to reject it, on the grounds that conceptual and technical adjustments were necessary for the realisation of the planned photovoltaic system. The Walchwil municipal council (Gemeinderat) has since completed these adjustments, which is why the two PV loans were approved on Tuesday evening.

The partial revision of the regulations on supplementary childcare was also approved with two abstentions. From the summer of 2023, the municipality of Walchwil has been supporting families with childcare vouchers for day-care centres and family day-care providers. Starting in summer 2026, the Canton of Zug will also provide financial support to families with children in supplementary childcare. As a result, the municipality of Walchwil must amend its existing regulations. "The amendment means that parents will now also receive childcare vouchers for facilities outside the canton. An exemption permit will no longer be required," the municipal council explained.T

The Walchwil Seebad is no longer up to date, and is to be modernised to meet future needs       Photo: Stefan Kaiser

Parking situation remains unchanged for now.
Voters also approved the CHF 250,000 competition and planning loan for the expansion of the Walchwil Seebad (lakeside lido) with five votes against and five abstentions. Unlike the other items, this one prompted several comments. Guido Suter, president of the Walchwil Social Democratic Party (SP), enquired about the canton's involvement in the plans. The municipal council explained that "the canton supports the project and will be involved in the further proceedings." Part of the adjacent cantonal property will also be included in the planning.

Another questioner raised the issue of the parking situation at the lido, which is already unsatisfactory. Unfortunately, the municipal council could not offer a suitable solution at this time. They also explained that the current risk of injury from the invasive quagga mussel in Lake Zug had to be taken into account by the planning teams in their work.

The reason for the expansion is that some facilities no longer meet current requirements. In particular, there is a lack of sufficient space for children and suitable infrastructure for school swimming lessons. For organisational reasons, swimming lessons currently take place in the indoor pool in Brunnen in the canton of Schwyz. "This solution is not satisfactory for the school in the long term," the municipal council stated. At the same time, there is a desire to expand the offerings at the lakeside bathing area, and to improve the overall quality of the experience.

Profit to be used for pre-financing and equity
Finally, the 2025 accounts, showing a surplus of approximately CHF 7.7 million, were approved by the Walchwil electorate. The profit will be used as follows: two million Swiss francs will be invested in the pre-financing of the "School Space Expansion for Kindergarten and After-School Care" project. This brings the total pre-financing to CHF 11 million. The remaining surplus of approximately CHF 5.7 million will be allocated to equity, which will now amount to approximately CHF 51.7 million.