From the ranks of winter sports, there is an urgent need to expand the outdated biathlon training facility in Kaltenbrunn into a modern state Nordic performance center.
But the district is hesitant to join the planned operating company in the multi-million dollar project - apparently out of fear of incalculable consequences.
District
- The problem is well known: The small biathlon training facility in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district of Kaltenbrunn is no longer up-to-date and anything but a model company.
There is no electricity or running water - and only an outhouse.
Actually an intolerable condition for a winter sports stronghold that produced stars like Magdalena Neuner or Laura Dahlmeier.
The situation has worsened because, for safety reasons, the athletes can no longer train on the Bundeswehr's training area at Hohen Brendten.
Alternatives are few and far between and far away - for example in Seefeld or Ruhpolding.
Concept presented to the district council
But now there is an ambitious concept on the table, which Markus Anwander, Head of the Federal Alpine Skiing Base in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, was responsible for drawing up and presenting to the district council together with Andreas Dillemuth. It plans to transform the existing facility, which is used by around 350 young athletes and 35 professionals, into a regional Nordic performance center (cross-country skiing, biathlon, Nordic combined).
Anwander and his colleagues have a big investment in mind for this. For example, an illuminated roller-skis track for the summer, artificial snow and a functional building with changing rooms and sanitary facilities are to be built on the site. The whole thing has its price: Initial estimates are around 4.4 million euros - a lot of money. However, Anwander expects generous financial injections from the federal and state subsidies. According to his calculation, up to 82 percent should be financed in this way.
The whole thing is to be built and operated by a non-profit company, the Kaltenbrunn Nordic Center gGmbH - a structure that has only existed in the think tank so far. “That is the first step,” emphasizes Anwander. But founding it is not that easy. Because the initiators imagine a broad alliance of shareholders who have yet to be convinced. "On the part of sport, we have already had a relatively large number of commitments," reports Anwander. The Bavarian Ski Association, the Werdenfels ski area, the Biathlon Association and the Partenkirchen Ski Club are already involved, to name just a few examples.
The crux of the matter: The sports official imagines that the district and the market of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, on whose corridor the said sports facility is located, also join the merger.
“These are important partners that we absolutely have to have on board,” says Anwander.
Because only then, he argues, can one benefit from public funding.
But so far he has been waiting in vain for a yes.
"They keep a low profile."
Debate about possible obligations
There is a reason for this reluctance: There are obviously considerable concerns, as became clear in the course of the debate in the district council in the Krüner Kurhaus.
The fear of entering into obligations and possibly having to pay for follow-up costs at the end of the evening plays a central role.
“I'm missing the concrete.
That's not enough for me at the moment, ”criticized Elisabeth Koch (CSU).
Garmisch-Partenkirchen's mayor emphasized that winter sports are dear to the market town.
For the existing system in Kaltenbrunn alone, they say that costs averaging around 134,000 euros per year.
With Christl Freier it sounded similar: The district is obliged to operate economically, said the parliamentary group spokeswoman for the Greens.
“We don't want to set a precedent.” In addition, doubts have been voiced that the federal government and the Free State will only really let things go if the district and the market are involved.
The district politicians finally agreed to postpone the matter. According to the agreement, Anwander is to provide precise documentation, particularly with regard to operating costs and financing. The funding conditions should also be checked. "We need a joint solution," said District Administrator Anton Speer (Free Voters). The originally planned resolution proposal to loosely make a grant of only 20,000 euros for the large-scale project was put to the files. Because Anwander clearly signaled that in this case the project had died: "Then we can pack up straight away."