The council of Sestao has approved a budget allocation of €783,366.81 for the repair of the roof at the La Benedicta sports centre. This decision was made during an extraordinary council meeting held this morning.
The Municipal Sports Service, Sestao Kirolak, aims to put the renovation work out to tender before the end of this year, with the goal of commencing repairs in early 2027. The project will involve replacing the entire skylight of the sports facility, which was damaged due to strong winds on 21 January 2026, a day when a weather alert was issued for the Historical Territory of Bizkaia.
The storm caused significant damage to the polycarbonate panels of the roof, with some panels detaching from their supports, exposing certain areas of the sports facilities. To finance the repairs, the council has secured a grant of €500,000 from the Bizkaia Provincial Council, part of a funding line aimed at assisting municipalities in repairing damage caused by adverse weather conditions. This grant will be supplemented by €283,366.81 from municipal funds, bringing the total budget for the project to the approved amount.
The roof repairs also address ongoing water leakage issues identified in the municipal sports facilities. Late last year, Sestao Kirolak commissioned a study to assess the condition of the roofs at the Las Llanas and La Benedicta sports centres and to estimate the costs of necessary repairs. The report concluded that the polycarbonate panels of the skylights at La Benedicta had reached the end of their useful life, explaining the leaks that had been occurring inside the facility.
The skylight covers various sports areas, including the bouldering wall, boxing gym, aikido gym, squash courts, and the central area of the frontón txiki, as well as the larger frontón and the multipurpose court. With the establishment of this budget allocation through a credit modification, the council is taking a significant step towards addressing the first phase of the roof repair project at the La Benedicta sports centre, with plans to start work in early 2027.
