The city of Starnberg has an exciting year ahead of it.
Among other things, it should be clear whether the district town will be allowed to host a state horticultural show.
Mayor Patrick Janik explains what else is in store for Starnberg in an interview.
Starnberg
- Privately, Starnberg's mayor Patrick Janik was on cloud nine in the past year.
The 45-year-old and his wife Isabelle became parents for the first time on August 7.
Politically, on the other hand, it was difficult for the city of Starnberg to take off.
Corona made everyday life difficult - and major, future-oriented decisions are only in preparation.
What does the new year bring for the county seat?
The Starnberg Mercury has asked.
Mr. Janik, how has your sleep rhythm settled in the meantime?
Better than feared.
And, amazingly, he made sure that on some days I can start working an hour or two earlier.
But what is really tough: When a day starts at 6 a.m. and then a city council meeting drags on in the evening.
What or who will bring you more sleepless nights: your daughter Eleanor or the city's financial situation?
That is about the same. We got away with a black eye financially for the second year in a row. We have received trade tax compensation from the state, albeit to a lesser extent. And with all its disadvantages, the shortage of personnel also ensures that you cannot spend all the money that you should actually spend. As far as the budget for 2022 is concerned, we in the administration looked at every position several times, but there is still a deficit of two million euros in the administrative budget (editor's note: the part of the budget from which the running costs are covered and which should normally be at least balanced). That shouldn't be and it shouldn't be. But because we had already expected it, we put three million euros in the reserve last year.We can now use this to make up the deficit. But of course that is not a permanent condition.
You never tire of stressing Starnberg's difficult budget situation, even now. Does that reflect the realities one to one, or how much exaggeration is there?
If you just look at the current situation, we're just getting by. What gives me stomach ache is the program that will inevitably come up over the next few years. We need one or two new kindergartens, that's four to five million euros each. We need a new elementary school, that's eight to ten million euros. We need a new fire station, that is from ten million euros and up. We need new fire stations in Perchting and in Wangen, that's another three to four million euros per construction. All in all, that's a cost of 30 to 35 million euros. Even if we get funding for it: We have to build up reserves. It just won't work on credit. We cannot and should not only look to the next year, we have to keep an eye on the future.A lot of the infrastructure is not in what it should be. Nevertheless, we are still too willing to spend.
In what way?
We already do a lot of voluntary services, for example the seaside resort, which runs a deficit of between 1.7 and 2.5 million euros every year.
But I can only spend each euro once.
But you are not seriously planning atrocities at the seaside resort or other municipal facilities?
No.
It would also be difficult to find a political force in Starnberg that would speak out against the museum, against the music school or against the seaside resort.
The "whether" is out of the question for me, but with the "how" we may have to think about potential savings.
That will be the art in the years to come.
The largest project, also financially, is likely to be the sea connection, and it wasn't even included in your listing. The talks between the city and the railway are strictly confidential, but you can hear from different sides how constructive and expedient they would be. How do you perceive the atmosphere?
Exactly the same.
They are excellent rounds of talks, paired with mutual respect and the desire to achieve something together.
And how is the state of affairs, with all confidentiality? You can hear that you have already agreed on a track variant ...
In fact, we have come further than expected in 2021.
And I hope that very soon we will get to a stage where we can proudly make something public.
But until then you will definitely not hear from the city.
Are the three rain protection boxes that were recently placed on the platform a first step?
They are a gesture of the railway to the city and the citizens that change is possible.
That's how I interpreted it.
Because we can all assume that the railway could spend the money sensibly elsewhere, just think of the Ahr valley.
The fact that she did it in Starnberg is at least a sign that the train station is important to her.
You and large parts of the city council also link the lake connection with Starnberg's application for the State Garden Show 2032. The application documents must be submitted by May 27th. How confident are you of bringing the show to Starnberg?
I am of course totally confident.
Our application will not be outdone.
Seriously: I would be a bad mayor if I saw it differently.
It is of course an ambitious goal, and of course there is no guarantee, but you can reach for the stars a bit.
What is the attraction of the State Garden Show for you?
So many things would simply collapse so wonderfully: the connection to the lake, our 120th anniversary in the city, thanks to generous funding we would take a good step into the future.
Our frayed application (editor's note: eight zones are planned from Söcking via the Almeidaberg to the Mooswiesen in Percha), making it almost imperative to link these innovatively with one another.
Autonomous buses are an idea that one can certainly imagine.
We're talking about ten years from now.
Of course, not everything lives and dies with the success of the application, but this could certainly make a lot easier.
Although not a garden show, people should be given more quality of stay this year at the See train station. What is the status of the planning?
My dream is a three-month street festival.
The desire for a post-corona period certainly also plays a role, I am happy to admit that.
For most people, 2021 was a rather dreary year.
We want to celebrate together on Bahnhofplatz and show a traffic concept in which pedestrians and cyclists have equal rights with motorized traffic.
Just a few chairs in the street or a few flower pots are not enough.
The completely free play of forces is also difficult.
I can't say more details yet because we're still in the planning stage.
The public participation is planned for January 26th.
And that with a view of construction fences at the Bayerischer Hof. Give the people of Starnberg hope: How will things be there at the end of 2022?
Unfortunately, I am realistically assuming that the Bayerischer Hof will still look like it does today, despite our ambitious schedule. The investor competition should then have already started. The tender for the office is open, we hope to have it in the first quarter. And I think that we in the city council can then get started relatively quickly. The question will then be: What is the response rate and what is the quality of the response rate? I hope we will be spoiled for choice. We will do what is necessary on the building itself to maintain the status quo. And I wish that we can play in the garden again, like last year. Especially during the action on Bahnhofplatz.
Another big project, which is much less tangible for the citizens, is the “Moosaik”, ie the redesign of the industrial area around Moosstrasse. In this regard, what can we expect in the New Year?
The first round of public participation is over.
The project is now going the normal way of processing the development plan.
I do not think it is completely out of the question that we will have a completed development plan by the end of the year, if nothing spectacularly unforeseen happens.
We are on the right track, even if we and the owners still have some work to do.
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What will 2022 bring for the city of Starnberg?
© Michael Stürzer
How far are you thinking about accommodating VHS and / or music schools there?
Personally, I would at least like to have the music school in "Moosaik".
We will negotiate and discuss this in the first quarter.
The VHS building, in other words Villa Bayerlein, is part of the Bayerischer Hof investor competition, that is clear. But what would become of the building of the music school on the Mühlberg?
I would have no problem selling an old building from time to time.
Because they are not automatically better off in the hands of the city.
The city and its old buildings are not a history of fame when I look at the current state of the Bayerischer Hof and See Bahnhof.
Another large project, which played almost no role in public in 2021, is the planned Schorn industrial park. Some observers are already losing the belief that it will be realized. Would you still bet on it?
Yes.
At least I want to do all I can to make it happen.
I still think Schorn is a good idea for Starnberg.
And we worked hard on it in 2021 as well.
But more than 40 hectares would have to be removed from landscape protection. The district council fought hard for much less space in Aufkirchen, and it was about social housing ...
I can hardly think about the political considerations of the district council, especially since I am not a member of it either.
But I leave no doubt what our attitude is.
Schorn has the highest priority for the city as well as the moss and, in my opinion, is definitely in the interests of the district.
What has also completely disappeared from the public eye is the remote bypass. Natural history research results should be available in 2022 ...
I asume that as well.
The study period ran from January to December 2021.
And then? Does the discussion about implementation start all over again?
Honestly no.
Personally, I assume that the subject has been settled with the results of the environmental studies.
There is practically no leeway in the course of the route.
In other words, if there is major environmental resistance anywhere, the project is dead in my eyes.
The first row houses will be moved into on the Wiesengrund in the new year. What does apartment building do?
The basis for the tendering process has been decided.
The idea is to build around half of the apartments as urban rental apartments, 30 percent as condominiums in a local model and 20 percent for free.
I don't want to rule out that the application phase for the local model will start this year.
Structurally, however, nothing is likely to happen yet.
The creation of the green areas and playgrounds is planned for this year.
How did you actually perceive the mood in Starnberg in the second Corona year?
It was an incredibly tough year, especially for everyone who does something with an external impact.
For example, it was incredibly stressful and incredibly frustrating for our cultural office to keep planning and organizing something and then being confronted with new rules shortly beforehand.
That goes to the substance.
And it is the same for all adults, but Corona is even more disgusting for young people and children.
On the Monday after Christmas, 60 to 80 people in Starnberg took part in a so-called Corona walk, to which the right-wing extremist party “The III. Weg “had called. The following week there were already 170 participants. The route also led to the town hall ...
Anyone who does not understand the principles of biochemistry does not understand the authority's responsibilities. But of course everyone can have their opinion. But I don't have to take every expression of opinion seriously. And 60 to 170 participants, we're talking about 0.7 percent for a population of 24,000, are still just a scattered group. It is terribly difficult for me to recognize the alleged social division here. And above all, you have to emphasize: The vast majority of the population finds the corona measures unpleasant, but still considers them sensible and necessary. This is not only confirmed by all the surveys, but also by the federal election, where over 80 percent of those eligible to vote voted for parties that support the Corona measures.
In a year your daughter will be one year old, nights have become rare - where will Starnberg be then?
I believe that the course will be set very strongly in 2022.
We'll know where we're headed at the Bayerischer Hof.
We will know whether our application for the State Garden Show was successful.
We will know whether we can come to an agreement with the railways.
There are quite a few directional decisions and this is a very exciting time.
I'm really looking forward to it, but it also means a lot of work.
And I'm looking forward to three months of fun at the train station.
I am convinced that 2022 will be a year to be proud of.