Prestige object falls victim to the need to save

Created: 12/14/2021, 10:15 AM

The Eichenau town hall.

© hk

Actually, it was already one of the top topics in the upcoming election campaign for the executive chair in the Eichenau town hall: House 37, which was to house the library, clubs and urgently needed apartments.

But now the budget has been cut significantly for the coming years.

Eichenau - community library and adult education center in modern rooms, also urgently needed new apartments, up to five floors high - the so-called house 37 on the main street had what it takes to become a prestige object for Eichenau. Now the planning has to be pushed back because of the tight budget situation. Even in a comparatively low position in the asset budget, the municipal council put the red pencil on - after intensive discussion and with a narrow majority.

85,000 euros for planning costs for the demolition and new building were the approach that treasurer Alexander Zydek had presented.

The direction of the discussion, however, was given by finance officer Hans Hösch (CSU): “Carefully estimated, the thing will cost us five million euros.

That won't be anything in the next few years, ”said Hösch very clearly.

Therefore, the planning costs should first be deleted.

Member of the parliamentary group and CSU mayoral candidate Peter Zeiler supported this.

“It's not just house 37,” he said.

Flood protection, flash flood management and school renovations would also come with a high mountain of costs for the community.

What sparked opposition in the Green mayoral candidate Markus Hausberger.

"If we take it down, we'll do it again next year," he warned.

They want to create space for the community library and clubs.

He saw the community as a duty "That is a community task."

When he was nominated as mayoral candidate, Markus Hausberger had already declared his visions for the project on Hauptstrasse.

He could imagine building 37 as a well-equipped coworking station (a very free form of sharing office space).

At this point, Kämmerer Zydek pointed out that the District Office, as the legal supervisor when considering municipal finances, also always checks projects such as House 37.

When asked by the daily newspaper, he also explained that it could come to the conclusion that it was not absolutely necessary to move the community library.

Means: If the district authority is of the opinion that the current rooms are not optimal, but sufficient, then a move could be rated as a voluntary service.

But that should not be financed by the community as a matter of urgency.

"We have to keep an eye on the financial performance of the community," says Zydek, describing the priorities.

Compulsory tasks like schools have priority.

“House 37 is still important,” said Hannelore Münster (FDP). She aimed to shift positions a little. Ultimately, a compromise was reached. The budget for the planning costs will be reduced by well over half of the originally planned amount to 40,000 euros. On that occasion, a whole corner was cut from the follow-up approaches for the years 2023 to 2025. The original total of 4.7 million euros was reduced to 2.6 million euros. This decision was very tight with 13:11 votes.

At the beginning of 2020, there was still talk that House 37 could become one of the so-called high points in Hauptstrasse.

With up to five-story houses along the main street, Eichenau is supposed to counteract the lack of living space.

This was even recommended by the Commission for Local Development in January 2020.