Citizens' participation in the long-running Garmisch-Partenkirchner Kongresshaus is being extended: GaPa Tourismus is planning a new format to address more people and enable a more intensive discussion of the sensitive topic.
At the end - summer 2022 is planned - there should be a referendum.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
- What should become of the Kongresshaus? Garmisch-Partenkirchen has been dealing with this difficult question for many years - and is not getting anywhere. The topic polarizes and makes waves on an emotional level. The expectations and perspectives seem to be too different. In the room there is a renovation of the community-owned, aging property, a new building or a solution somewhere in between. One thing is certain: the building in the best location on Richard-Strauss-Platz has to meet the most diverse requirements, congresses and meetings must offer a modern environment, be home to cultural events and function as a community center.
The community subsidiary GaPa Tourismus, the operator of the property, initiated extensive public participation this year in order to sound out the opinions of the residents and interest groups on the future of the congress center and its surroundings ("GaPa 2030 site development planning") and to find a way out of the tricky situation. But the process got stuck - and tourism director Michael Gerber stepped on the brakes to make improvements (we reported).
The trigger for the course correction: A survey had brought the bitter realization that the younger generations in particular are much more critical of tourism and thus the main source of income - an unmistakable alarm signal. The aim is to bring the young people on board more closely when it comes to the Congress House issue. And it should not only be discussed diligently, but a result in the form of a clear recommendation to the address of the municipal council.
Gerber relies on professional help - and has brought the Munich consulting firm Cima to the side. The specialists for all kinds of questions of urban and regional development reach deep into their tool kit and plan a series of open workshops, which they call "real laboratories". In contrast to the original considerations, not only a selected and manageable group of people should take part in these rounds, but the broadest possible cross-section of the population. "We invite everyone," announced Gerber. A moderated exchange of views is planned, which will also include experts. Expectations are high: "The public participation process should appeal to all sections of the population, be completely transparent and be designed on an equal footing with all Garmisch-Partenkirchen residents," says a press release.Gerber's vision: a jointly developed idea that flows into a council request for a referendum. “I trust the power of arguments and not feelings,” he says.
Of course, the Cima-Schützenhilfe is not available for free.
However, Gerber is covered when it comes to the amount of costs.
And there is another big unknown: How can the “real laboratories”, which are supposed to run physically and digitally, be carried out reasonably safely in the middle of the pandemic and in times of increasing incidence figures?
This sticking point is likely to provide plenty of talking point.
One thing is certain: the schedule has already been turned upside down.
As a reminder: At the beginning, the previous day of the federal election on September 26th was under discussion for the envisaged referendum.
The current script now names summer 2022 as the date for this.
In the town hall, however, you see yourself on the right track: "I expressly welcome this campaign by GaPa-Tourismus, as it creates the highest level of transparency for citizens in terms of the future of the congress center through workshops and opportunities for participation," says Mayor Elisabeth Koch (CSU). She very much hope that many will take part in order to obtain comprehensive information and to form their own picture of the situation. Koch continues: "I think this is the only way we can finally come to a clear citizen vote, which then also reflects the actual wishes and needs of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen people in terms of the congress center."
But criticism can also be heard from the ranks of local politics.
“I think it's a waste of money,” says FDP councilor Martin Sielmann.
In his opinion, it is only a matter of using PR experts to steer the will of the people towards new buildings.
The Liberal is alluding to the referendum from 2019, in which a clear majority was in favor of maintaining the property, including renovation and partially new construction.