Work on the Schongau ice stadium has started. Now the carpenter is at work. The schedule is tight, only the summer break remains.
Schongau – It has been clear for many years: the roof structure of the ice rink on Schongauer Lechuferstrasse urgently needs to be improved; it no longer meets the requirements of the current snow load standard. The Schongau municipal building authority was able to tap into a funding pot in May 2021 - now things started. Already on Good Friday, the members of the ice skating department rolled up their sleeves because a lot of personal effort is required, as Franz Andergassen, head of the EAS department at TSV Schongau, explains.
So that the carpenter can work at all, the volunteers have set up scaffolding on the right and left of the stands, and there is also a lifting platform in the hall. All advertising systems under the roof have already been dismantled, as has the loudspeaker system, and the side advertising boards are still to follow. The hard-working helpers also do the preparatory work for the electrician themselves. This is the second major item in this renovation work: all the lighting is being brought up to date and converted to LED in order to save costs. The club assumes that this investment will pay for itself within a very short period of time.
“We will always work hand in hand,” says Andergassen, describing the approach, because you can’t afford any longer delays in the renovation, after all, everything has to be ready enough during this summer season so that you can go back on the ice in the fall. Andergassen hopes that there will be no major delays; the craftsmen are all in good spirits. But he also knows: “This is not a run-of-the-mill roof renovation.”
Sanitary containers may be purchased
“The tension belts of the wooden structure are overloaded,” explains Robert Thomas, who is overseeing the renovation as deputy city architect. Therefore, among other things, steel cables would be used to increase the load-bearing capacity. The lower chord reinforcement is also what visitors will notice most, says Thomas - and of course the new LED lighting.
A total of 1.17 million euros is available, the funding amount is 90 percent. The tender produced quite good results, says Thomas, so there may be funds left for an extra project: a sanitary container could possibly be purchased for the southern part. The checkout area could perhaps also be modernized or the current temporary structures could be removed and replaced with permanent elements. “We are currently planning and it has not yet been finally decided,” says Thomas, but he is quite confident.
Andergassen wants to quit as chairman of the EAS - “now it’s up to the young people”
Andergassen is unable to estimate how much of its own effort the EAS itself will have to put into this renovation in terms of time and money. The club itself has to carry out all the cabling or suspension for the loudspeakers, “there is still a lot to do for the department,” he is sure. But the companies are already accommodating the association. “It's been a relaxed relationship so far,” says the EAS boss happily. He also praises the cooperation with the city's building authority, although the association was left in limbo for too long for his liking and they would have liked to have been informed earlier on some occasions. “Unfortunately, we didn’t know what was going on for a long time. But that is just my personal opinion."
Andergassen still wants to accompany this restructuring phase, but perhaps no longer as a department head. “I want to quit in mid-May at the next general meeting,” he announces. Franz Heger won him over for the ice skating department ages ago. “I had a VW bus and was asked if I could drive the junior team to the away game in Kempten,” he remembers. “And these players are jumping around in the AH today,” says the 68-year-old with a laugh. He went through pretty much all positions in the EAS except for coach and player, “now it’s up to the young ones.” He already has someone in mind for the department – “so things will continue.”