The Martinschule in Olching is to be converted to create more space for open all-day care.
Olching – However, expansion has so far seemed difficult because there is little room for maneuver in the area. Now there is an idea that can probably be implemented.
The demand for open all-day care is increasing, as is the number of students. The city of Olching wants to make this possible at all primary schools. This has already happened in Graßlfing, now Olching will follow, then Esting.
A budget of 20 million euros is planned for the renovation and expansion of the Martinschule alone. The calculation is currently at 13 million euros, but the next steps will show whether this is realistic.
Three storey extension
The issue has been on the table for a long time. Various expansion options have been discussed in the past. However, the feasibility always fails. In autumn 2023, Mayor Andreas Magg (SPD) asked the building authority to examine a new idea. And this can now apparently be implemented, as the town hall reports. An initial preliminary study was presented to the city council at the beginning of February.
A three-story extension is planned with a so-called attic floor (upper floor placed on a flat roof) between the gymnasium and the adjacent school building. The main aim here is to accommodate all-day operations with a kitchen and a spacious cafeteria.
The usable area should be around 2000 square meters and as little of the playground as possible should be lost. According to the town hall, an outbuilding with an equipment garage and bicycle parking facility that is rarely used will be demolished.
School operations should be little or not affected at all during the renovation, it goes on to say. This saves you the trouble of having to make complex temporary arrangements or expensive container systems. “I am pleased that we are now pressing ahead with the expansion of the Olching primary school into an open all-day school. Our goal is that in the future we will have three equivalent open all-day schools in Olching that are modern, bright and spacious and in which our primary school children feel comfortable,” said Mayor Magg.
The current status was presented to the city council in February. The preparation and implementation of the Europe-wide tender for planners is currently underway. The award of the order and the start of planning are scheduled for early summer 2024. The town hall is currently expecting construction to take around one and a half to two years.
Hope for double funding
There is also hope for a windfall through a regular funding program as well as a special one for full-time expansion from federal funds. Given the strained financial situation in many municipalities, this certainly plays an important role.
According to the town hall, a promising feasibility study is also in progress for the Esting elementary school. This will be presented in the coming weeks. According to the status discussed during the budget discussions in January, a major change is coming.
There is a possibility that the city's “oldest school building” will be demolished and rebuilt nearby on land owned by the municipality. The calculated costs here amount to a maximum of 25 million euros.