The public beach volleyball facility in Lobeda-West must be closed

It was only in December that the beach volleyball court in the outdoor area of the Kubus in Lobeda-West was soiled with broken glass. As a result, Kommunalservice Jena (KSJ) had to replace all the sand - at a cost of €11,000.

Now, at the beginning of this week, KSJ employees found more shards there. The administration has therefore decided to keep the beach facility closed until further notice.

Due to the increase in vandalism - both on the outdoor area of the cube and at the sports hall complex in Lobeda-West - department head Benjamin Koppe, district mayor Volker Blumentritt, sports officer Vanessa Baum, employees from the youth and education department, KSJ, municipal real estate Jena, municipal order department, sports department and the responsible contact area officers discussed preventative measures on Thursday.

The participants agreed that the public leisure facilities for children, young people and adults must be maintained at all costs. The police will increase patrols in the area in future. The youth and education department will also develop measures in the context of youth social work.

Sports department head Benjamin Koppe commented:

We would have liked to have avoided the closure. For reasons of safety and the high costs, there is currently no alternative. The process that has now been initiated will hopefully lead to an improvement in the near future. However, it will also depend on the user groups and their consideration and sense of responsibility in the future in order to bring about a lasting solution to the problems that have arisen.