Bad Segeberg. Dirk Reher is usually not seen personally in his practice on Fridays. The podiatrist keeps the day free to do bookkeeping and other things. Next Friday he will cut the roses in the bathing facility at the Großer Segeberger See. The chairman of the Segeberg sports fishing association says that the accusation that some city representatives recently made in the building committee that the outdoor pool was unkempt, affected him personally.
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The city wants to provide barrier-free access to the water via a new footbridge. It should cost 330,000 euros. A large part of this should be covered by subsidies. In the building committee, city politicians complained about the visual condition the bathing facility, which is operated by the sport fishing club. Criticism ranged from the unkempt beach area, furniture and playground to weeds and mud in the water and goose droppings on the lawn.
Home-made equipment is used at the Großer Segeberger See to combat goose droppings
An impression that cannot be confirmed when you talk to Dirk Reher. The lawn has been mowed, the tables and chairs on the terrace look neat, as does the small playground. It is getting old, but everything is still intact. “The city’s construction department provides the playground equipment,” Reher explains. The rest are the fishermen, the group “Badehelden” and the water rescue service. “The lifeguards do much more than just their job,” Reher emphasizes. They have also voluntarily kept the bathroom in good condition. “They now also feel attacked.”
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To catch the goose droppings, there is a homemade device: a fork with a coarse metal sieve. The frequent use is also visible. But there is little that can be done about the silt and the weeds in the water, says the club chairman. After all, it is a natural outdoor swimming pool. The entire lake is also protected. “I can’t just pull a herb out of it.”
The city once left the bathing facilities to fishermen
The Segeberger Sportfischerverein manages and maintains not only the Great Segeberger Meer, but also the Ihlsee, Klüthsee, Giesselteich and parts of the Trave. Some contracts are ‘Asbach-old’, as Reher says. Many points are now outdated, especially when it comes to outdoor swimming pools. The city once donated the bathhouse as a clubhouse to fishermen. In return, the fishermen have to organize swimming activities. In the meantime, the club has grown to 150 members and the former clubhouse has long since become too small.
The classic club management has become a full-time catering business, run by a tenant. According to the contract, he must also provide the outdoor facilities. “As fishermen, we no longer use the bathing facilities and actually get nothing out of it,” Reher emphasizes. Except for the moment, problems and a lot of work. The restorer suffered a fatal accident in early April. Since then, club members and the relaxed group “Badehelden” consisting of fishermen, city representatives and citizens have taken care of the beach and the meadow. A private company is responsible for cleaning the sanitary facilities.
Three years ago, the outdoor pool was about to close. New rules for swimming activities came into effect. Since then, two lifeguards must always be present – and paid. “We arranged everything then,” Reher recalls. The security service cost 30,000 euros last year. The city paid half of it and 10,000 euros came in through entrance fees. Reher somehow managed to finance the rest. “We even add money to it.”
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He is all the more disappointed when he ‘gets a slap on the wrist’. The chairman is annoyed and always pretends that the sport fishing club has a lot of money, ‘at the moment we have no income anymore’. There is no successor in sight for the catering industry. Instead, Reher is working with an estate manager to liquidate the old restaurant business. Although the club currently has a lot on its plate, savings have been made to build a new jetty on the adjacent club grounds on its own.
Sport fishing association Segeberg wants to change its contract with the city
Reher now wants to try to change the old contract with the city and redefine the responsibilities. Reher admits that he had two or three sleepless nights after the accusations in the building committee. He feels unfairly treated. “The lake is my living room. When I look at the lake, I still get goose bumps, even after fifty years.” In the meantime, the association is doing everything it can to keep the bathing facility going. And so the independent podiatrist cuts the roses on his accounting day.
In good weather, the bathing facility at the Großer Segeberg See is open every day from 12:00, but usually until 20:00. Daily updated information is available at www.freibad-segeberg.de. The season ends on 31 August, but can be extended if necessary.
CN