For years, there have been calls to build a proper Olympic-size swimming pool next to the Tondiraba Ice Hall in Lasnamäe — one that could host both training and international competitions.

Although a developer with building rights was selected back in 2019, political clarity is still lacking on what exactly should be constructed at the Tondiraba site and how the pool will be financed.

The new Tallinn coalition, formed by the Center Party and Isamaa, has promised in its agreement to revive the so-called Kõlvart-era plan. Under this plan, Lasnamäe would get not just a municipal pool but a full swimming and spa complex developed in cooperation with a private company.

In addition to the Olympic-size pool, the plan would include a multi-use sports hall, a spa, a 127-unit sports hostel, a bowling alley and about 2,000 square meters of office space. The facility would be built under a 50-year building rights agreement.

ERR first reported on the proposal to build the pool together with a water park in 2021. At the time, the understanding was that the developer would complete the entire complex, without any investment support from the city, by 2024.

Much has changed since then. The conversation now includes public investment support of tens of millions of euros for the private company that wins the building rights tender. Two years ago, for example, the city proposed €20 million in investment support.

The Social Democrats have criticized the new coalition's plan. Among them is outgoing Deputy Mayor for Culture and Sports Kaarel Oja, who spoke out on social media.

"The new coalition is going back to a baffling plan to give a large gift to one specific private company under the guise of investment support, while surrendering all control over the future pool's operations," Oja wrote.

He told ERR the new coalition's approach amounts to a handout to a private developer because the large water park project has essentially been tailor-made by one company — Capital Mill. The same developer won the building rights tender in 2019.

"It's hard for an outside bidder to take over a project they weren't involved in from the start. In practice, this means proceeding with only one real option — this specific developer," Oja said.

When the city sought bidders for the project in early 2024, several companies picked up the procurement documents. But only one — Tondiraba Ujula OÜ, a subsidiary of Capital Mill — submitted a bid. The city government changed before any agreement was signed.

Outgoing Social Democratic Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski also criticized the project online, saying the new coalition's plan "reeks of corruption."

Incoming Deputy Mayor Tiit Terik (Center), who will oversee municipal assets, rejected those claims. He emphasized that the procurement process is public and open to all.

"The number of bids depends on how private companies assess the business potential. The fact that only one company bid last time means the others didn't see it as a profitable venture under those conditions. I don't see how the city could rig a public tender in favor of a single company. That's just not possible — everyone is free to compete," said Terik.

Just a swimming pool or a swimming pool and a spa?

According to Kaarel Oja, instead of offering €20 million in investment support to a private developer, the city would be better off building the swimming pool itself.

He said a city-funded pool would also cost around €20 million. However, unlike the larger Kõlvart-era concept, the municipal pool would be more modest in scale, without a spa, sports hostel or commercial spaces. As incoming Deputy Mayor Tiit Terik pointed out, it would also lack a parking facility.

This more modest project was being developed by the outgoing four-party city government. Just a few months ago, ERR reported that the city had held an architectural design competition for the Varraku pool and surrounding area, which was won by VNDL Arhitektuur OÜ with its entry "Hõlje," created by Susannah Kaul, Cristin Marii Titma, Timo Titma and Veiko Vahtrik.

"If the city builds it, we get a better and more functional pool and we can control pool access under reasonable terms," Oja said. "With the other option, we spend the same amount of money and get essentially nothing in return."

Terik pushed back, saying a smaller, city-funded pool could end up being a false economy.

"If we go with the scaled-down version, where we start by looking at how much money we have and then start cutting, we may end up needing to build two pools to get the quality we want," he said. "A miser pays twice: first, they build something cheap for the money they think they have and then when that doesn't meet their needs, they have to build it all over again."

Could a swimming pool be profitable?

At the heart of the debate is the question of how the swimming pool should be financed.

Tiit Terik said the coalition proceeds based on the principle that the public sector should not intervene in a market where private enterprise could function effectively. He explained that while the city would provide investment support to a private developer, it would, in return, receive a sports complex where all operational costs and financial risks are borne entirely by the private company.

According to Terik, a standalone municipal pool would be similar to the Sõle Sports Center, which is a clear expense for the city and requires ongoing maintenance and operating subsidies.

"A competitive sports pool is not, in and of itself, a profitable project," he said.

Kaarel Oja disagrees. He pointed to business models developed by Tallinn's sports department and examples from neighboring countries, arguing that Olympic-size 50-meter pools can be operated without running at a loss.

"We're convinced it can be managed as a break-even project — one that doesn't impose a long-term financial burden," Oja said.

However, Andres Tiik, a board member at Mustamäe Spa, told Äripäev in October that under the plan supported by Oja, the city would end up subsidizing the project with at least €1.5 million annually and that this figure would increase over time. Mustamäe Spa has a business interest in the project; under the Center Party's earlier plan, the company nearly became the future operator of the water park two years ago.

Vapper: stands mostly empty in a 2.2-meter pool

Beyond financing, there is also debate over whether the planned swimming pool, even if built, would actually meet the needs of the sporting community.

In the pool project backed by the Social Democrats, the proposed depth of the pool is 2.2 meters. In the earlier Kõlvart-era plan, the depth was set even shallower — just 2 meters.

According to Erkki Susi, president of the Estonian Swimming Federation, the ideal depth would be 3 meters. That would allow not only swimmers but also water polo players and artistic swimmers to train and compete in the pool. Both disciplines require a minimum depth of 3 meters.

Susi noted that a 2.2-meter-deep pool is technically sufficient for hosting international adult swimming competitions, although the international recommended minimum is 2.5 meters.

Erkki Vapper, a board member of the Swimming Federation, was more critical. He argued that records are typically set in 3-meter-deep pools and that the current 2.2-meter plan is clearly inadequate.

"That depth isn't enough for artistic swimmers or water polo players," Vapper said. "It also means the spectator stands will sit empty most of the time, because you can't host proper competitions there. To do that, the pool must be at least 3 meters deep."

Terik: Pool depth not set in stone

Swimming Federation president Erkki Susi said that, when comparing the Kõlvart-era and Ossinovski-era projects, the latter is more competition-oriented in nature and offers significantly better functionality for swimming sports.

Incoming Deputy Mayor Tiit Terik emphasized, however, that many details of the proposed pool, such as the number of spectator seats or the depth of the pool, have not yet been set in stone.

"At this stage, adjustments can still be made, no matter which direction the city ultimately takes," said Terik, who will oversee municipal assets.

He added that before the city launches a new procurement process, both proposals — the privately funded complex and the city's more modest public pool — will be reassessed for their respective strengths and weaknesses.

"I'm not an expert in swimming facilities, so I can't say whether three meters is exactly what the depth should be," Terik said. "Politicians need to listen to professionals in the field. But we also shouldn't build something we'll need to replace with a proper facility later on."

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