Melo needs a space of this type according to the request made by Mayor William Sánchez
The Mayor of the Frente Amplio Bench raised and justified the need for the capital of Cerro Largo to have a heated swimming pool for public use.
He said that the city of Melo needs a space of this type both for the practice of sports and recreational swimming and not to mention for the recovery and rehabilitation of different injuries.
This is a request that is not new at the legislative level because the issue has already been raised in previous legislatures without finding the corresponding echo.
“This has been addressed in different periods by Councilors from different Parties, but it continues without a concrete answer: the need to have a public, heated swimming pool. We could also be more ambitious and have one in each town of Cerro Largo” express William Sanchez.
“Melo is the departmental capital and today it is at a disadvantage compared to other departments in the country and without progress in this matter” lament. “Cities such as Rivera, Tacuarembó, Durazno, Florida, Paysandú among others have heated public swimming pools, managed by the Municipality or in agreement with the National Sports Secretariat. They fulfill sporting, educational, recreational and fundamentally public health functions.” argued the opposition departmental legislator.
“In Cerro Largo, however, access to swimming is practically limited to a private institution that only operates in the summer months because it is not heated, which generates clear concern” held.
“Many children, young people, older adults and people with specific pathologies cannot access this activity due to infrastructure issues that cannot be accessed in winter” Sánchez pointed out during his presentation at the last session of 2025 of the Cerro Largo Departmental Board.
“Swimming is one of the sports most recommended by the medical system for rehabilitation, treatment of spinal problems, improving mobility in older adults and preventing cardiovascular diseases” he pointed out.
Later he said that a heated public pool would allow for the development of coordinated programs with ASSE and CAMCEL to help reduce future costs in the health system.
Sánchez indicated that from a social and preventive point of view, sport continues to be one of the most effective tools for inclusion and containment. “Generating quality public spaces is betting on youth with more opportunities, more healthy environments and community integration” he emphasized.
“From an educational point of view, having a public swimming pool would make it possible to advance an agreement with ANEP so that the public schools of Melo can incorporate swimming as part of physical education, something that today is impossible for most educational centers” said the Mayor of the Frente Amplio.
“This project could and should also be integrated into urban development plans already announced, such as the future Parque del Este or the eventual sports city, giving coherence to public policy that thinks about sport, health and the use of public spaces in a comprehensive way.” established.
William Sánchez requested that his words be presented to Mayor Christian Morel and to the Tourism, Sports and Youth Commission of the Departmental Board itself.
