Sewer rehabilitation, broadband expansion, new city bus concept: These are just three of the many major projects that Weilheim's public utility company is currently working on.
Weilheim
- Stadtwerke boss Peter Müller summarized extremely extensive projects in a compact report at the October meeting of the city council - from wastewater to hydrogen filling stations. The former is one of the basic tasks of the municipal company in every respect: Around 3.2 million euros will be invested this year in this area alone, above all in sewer rehabilitation and the new construction for sewage sludge drainage. A new “Ammerdüker”, an underpass for wastewater from the west of Weilheim, is also being planned: the river has cleared the previous one over the past 50 years, now a new building is required a little further downstream. The new culvert is said to be a good two meters lower and, with a diameter of one meter, twice as thick as the old one. There is then also space for other lines, explained Müller,Weilheim would be “equipped for all sorts of things” for decades.
Additional well: location in sight
The municipal utilities' plans for drinking water also extend far into the future.
After a long search, there is now a location in sight for an additional well in the southeast of Weilheim, near the “Red Chapel” near Eberfing.
There should be test drillings there in 2022 - "if companies can be found," says Müller.
Because the district town is growing, there will soon be a need for action in terms of water storage: The elevated tank on the Gögerl is "gradually" no longer sufficient, it will have to be expanded or rebuilt in the next few years - with a capacity of around 6,000 instead of the current 4,000 cubic meters .
A lot of preparatory work was necessary this year for the “City Bus 2022” concept, from the Europe-wide tender for the purchase of the new e-buses to obtaining the line concession to the ongoing construction work for the new central stops at Unteren Graben.
And even before the official start, the Stadtwerke boss is already thinking about expansion options, as he reported under the heading "Possible future projects": For example, an additional line between Trifthof and Deutenhausen / Marnbach and so-called "on demand traffic" ( based on the model of a "call taxi").
Future project: construction of a new indoor swimming pool with pleasure, "but not alone"
A new indoor swimming pool could also be such a future project.
One elicits "possible financing scenarios" for it, said Müller, the municipal company would basically trust itself to build and operate - "but not alone".
From the area of “Stadtwerke Energie GmbH”, for example, the construction of a hydrogen filling station falls under the heading “Future projects”.
Negotiations for this are already underway.
According to Müller, many questions still need to be clarified regarding participation in the southern German municipal utility consortium in terms of expanding the rapid charging infrastructure.
On the other hand, progress is being made with their own power generation: the development plan procedure is still starting this year for the planned open-space photovoltaic system of the municipal utilities on the railway line near Unterhausen.
Other communal areas would be examined for their suitability for solar systems.
Prices for gas and electricity are rising - also at Stadtwerke Weilheim
The end of the lawsuit over the gas network and the electricity network in Weilheim, which has been smoldering for years, is in sight: The verdict is due to be given in both appeal proceedings before the Munich Higher Regional Court in mid-November.
Regarding the change of the electricity network operator in the Weilheim municipality in early 2021, Müller emphasizes: "Stromnetz Weilheim GmbH" is "still a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bayernwerk Netz GmbH, Regensburg" and has nothing to do with Energie GmbH owned by Stadtwerke Weilheim.
The change of network operator does not change anything in an existing electricity supply contract with the municipal utilities.
"Stromnetz Weilheim GmbH" is responsible for questions about measuring points, meter installation or power supply.
One thing is clear: As in the entire energy market, as a result of the “capers on the stock exchanges” (quote from Müller), the prices for gas and electricity will soon also rise at Energie GmbH of Stadtwerke Weilheim.
Gas will be "well over ten percent more expensive".
When it comes to electricity, the managing director hopes that inflation will stay below this mark.
Finally, figures on the local broadband expansion: According to Müller, the municipal utilities have now laid more than 230 kilometers of fiber optic network.
The work as part of the federal government's first expansion program has been completed in Weilheim, and work on the second expansion program is scheduled to begin at the end of 2021.
With "NGN Telecom GmbH" there is now an additional provider for using the broadband network.
And negotiations are underway with a third provider - in the interests of diversity.