Citizens' meeting in Bayrischzell: swimming pool construction postponed - Böhmhaus for Ukraine refugees

Created: 03/26/2022, 02:00 p.m

Georg Kittenrainer, head of the town hall, submitted a report to the citizens' assembly for two years.

In 2021 the meeting was canceled due to Corona.

The pandemic also shaped many of the mayor's topics.

© Thomas Plettenberg

Mayor Georg Kittenrainer had to sum up two years, and so there was a lot to report at the Bavarian cell general meeting in the courtyard of the Post Office.

Bayrischzell – The topics ranged from local politics to tourism.

About 70 citizens followed the invitation to the citizens' meeting in Bayrischzell.

The fact that Mayor Georg Kittenrainer had so much to report was also due to the fact that the 2021 event had been canceled due to Corona.

Corona was also the topic with which the mayor started his review: "It was an emergency stop of everything that was not thought possible," he said.

"It also hit the town of Bayrischzell hard." Compared to other municipalities in the district, the Wendelstein community did not suffer from excessive illness.

"Nevertheless, we also had to complain about some serious cases and deaths here."

The crisis has led to a high level of uncertainty and skepticism among many fellow citizens.

"Even if the pandemic appears again and again in the activity report, this is not a crisis report," said Kittenrainer.

But the mayor immediately had to report on the next crisis - the war in Ukraine: "It's an escalation of violence that upsets us all." Accommodation for the millions of war refugees poses an "enormous challenge" for the EU.

Despite the crises, the finances are right

The first have also arrived in Bayrischzell – around 20 Ukrainians are currently staying there.

Kittenrainer announced that the community would prepare the so-called Böhmhaus on Wendelsteinstrasse for more refugees.

As reported, Bayrischzell acquired the property (Böhmfeld) at the end of 2021 after long negotiations with the community of heirs.

For Kittenrainer, the one-hectare meadow is "a key area for inner-city development" in order to be able to use it as a possible residential development in the near future.

Despite the crises, the community is still in good financial shape: Good income from property and trade taxes, but also the sharp increase in income tax and financial allocations compared to previous years have made it possible to "further reduce the level of debt," reported the town hall Boss.

This is 1.7 million euros at the end of 2021. This is likely to change with the new budget - the level of debt could rise to up to seven million euros.

Due to the stable situation at the federal and state levels, the municipality remains capable of acting and can fulfill all its duties.

"It remains to be seen to what extent the current inflation and world financial situation will affect the municipal budget in the future," said Kittenrainer.

"I anticipate some loss of prosperity."

When it came to mandatory municipal tasks, the mayor addressed the deep well, which reliably supplies the town with water, and the sewage system.

After more than 40 years without major refurbishment, extensive construction work is now pending.

"The community is facing significant investments." According to the study, around 4.5 million euros.

Since the sewage disposal has to work to cover costs, this also represents a "considerable financial burden for the citizen". In the form of an improvement contribution and a higher sewage fee.

"We want to keep them as low as possible," assured Kittenrainer.

Alpenfreibad: relocation is postponed

Another chunk that occupies the community is the relocation of the alpine outdoor pool to the Seeberg.

"It's a huge investment for a small community," said Kittenrainer.

The development plan is in place, the start of construction was actually scheduled for autumn of this year.

But here, too, Corona intervenes.

"In these uncertain times, starting the project is not serious." Due to the funding situation, large price jumps and the uncertainty of raw material deliveries, the administration is postponing the project by a year.

This year the old bath will go back into operation.

However, due to the outdated technology, disruptions or even failure are possible there.

Tourism in Bayrischzell has also suffered from Corona.

According to Kittenrainer, income has fallen, "but at the same time there has also been a decrease in expenditure".

About the annual deficit at the swimming pool, since there was no operation.

In general, analogous to the waves of the pandemic, it was a constant "up and down".

In figures: Compared to 2019, the number of overnight stays fell from around 187,000 to around 144,000 last year.

In contrast, the winter season saw a boom in cross-country skiing: 26,000 day tickets and 1,200 season tickets were sold.

"We've set a record with that." Now Kittenrainer hopes "that we can have a sensible summer again".

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