Interview with the mayor: Why Geretsried can be proud of itself

Created: 12/29/2022, 5:00 p.m

By: Susanne Weiss

Noisy office neighbors: A new meeting room is being built next to the mayor's room.

The head of the town hall, Michael Müller, inspects the construction site regularly – but doesn't let the construction noise irritate him during his work.

© Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss

It was another challenging year.

In an interview, Michael Müller, Mayor of Geretsried, reveals why he will be toasting with sparkling wine on New Year's Eve. 

Geretsried - For years the construction site was in front of the window of City Hall boss Michael Müller - on Karl-Lederer-Platz.

Now the craftsmen work right next to his mayor's office.

As reported, the administration needs more workplaces and meeting facilities.

The town hall is being rebuilt accordingly, and the roof has to be renovated at the same time.

The mayor has long since gotten used to the background noise at work.

While there was drilling and hammering in the next room, he looked back on an eventful year in an interview with our newspaper.

Mr. Mayor, do you serve sparkling wine or seltzer at the turn of the year?

Mayor Michael Müller:

Despite what one can say, it will be sparkling. Of course it was a challenging year with Omikron and the lockdown, the Ukraine war and the energy crisis.

Overall, however, we have made many things progress.

There was hope and beauty in it.

What was hopeful and beautiful?

Müller:

That we have overcome the Corona crisis, even if Corona remains endemic.

We can meet again in person.

Is there an event in 2022 that you particularly remember?

Müller:

The Peace Concert.

Despite the frost, this spontaneous meeting created a warmth of interpersonal relationships.

You mean the peace concert that was held at the beginning of the year instead of the carnival hustle and bustle.

Shortly before, Russia had launched a war of aggression against Ukraine.

Mueller:

Exactly.

We thought we could celebrate carnival again - and then there was war.

So people came together to show solidarity.

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Geretsried: Mayor Michael Müller looks back on 2022 in an interview

Dog Luigi has been accompanying Mayor Michael Müller to appointments since this year.

Here they sat on the historic Alpenland tractor sample that the city bought.

© Hermsdorf-Hiss

You and your wife moved to the south of Geretsried in the summer.

Have you seen the area around Sudetenstraße with different eyes since then?

Müller:

After 44 years at Johannisplatz, it has become the Beethovenweg.

As the mayor, where you live doesn't matter.

I have an overview of all areas in our city.

However, I notice that our dog has given me a new perspective.

Walking the dog creates moments of deceleration.

I'm much slower on the road and get into conversation with other dog owners.

Do you always go for the same walk?

Mueller:

No.

We take turns.

There are preferred walks, but they also vary.

The world wants to be sniffed out and there are a thousand scents to explore.

What did you notice?

Müller:

Pedestrians perceive things differently than drivers or passengers in the bus.

The small things in life come to the fore more strongly, such as the positioning of a rubbish bin, a parked car or a bollard.

When our dog was still small and put everything in his mouth, I first noticed how much rubbish was just lying around.

Now you have to see that the many small things add up to make the big picture.

But the trick is to make balanced decisions.

It's not enough to set up a rubbish bin, it also has to be driven to and emptied.

Read the latest news from Geretsried here.

Mayor Michael Müller in an interview about the challenges on the Geretsrieder Sudetenstraße

In your opinion, what are the challenges on the Sudetenstraße?

Müller:

The Sudetenstrasse is already a well-developed business center.

With the settlements right at the top of the star, it has the chance to be a side center for daily supplies.

It's not about creating a second local center, but about the question of how we can strengthen this supply center.

The challenge is to better define the Sudetenstraße in terms of urban planning.

The traffic there is often criticized.

Müller:

It's in the top ten of the busiest streets in the city.

The Sudetenstraße forms a main axis.

The question is what can we improve there.

How we can calm traffic while still maintaining permeability.

The car is important for getting here, but at the same time we want to pave the way for alternative means of transport.

How can that look like?

Müller:

I imagine a distinct shopping street between the Herglotz junction and the Stern.

Since taking office, I've also been keeping an eye on the connection to Chamalières Square and Neuen Platz.

This also brings us to the Social City urban development project.

But it is difficult to improve something there in terms of urban development.

The city does not own anything in this area, only Künnekeweg.

Even Chamalières Square is not public.

In this area we are dealing with countless WEGs (

), which unfortunately have so far been blocked.

Karl-Lederer-Platz becomes a pedestrian zone: "It's still missing some heart"

Life on the street: The city council has declared Karl-Lederer-Platz from Graslitzer Straße and Martin-Luther-Weg to the C&A shop in the BGZ building as a pedestrian zone.

© Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss

Let's take a look at the city center: What do you expect from the pedestrian zone on Karl-Lederer-Platz, which will be implemented next summer?

Müller:

A calming of the situation.

I am now critical of the so-called shared space between drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

There strong meets weak.

We must clearly regulate that Karl-Lederer-Platz is now a pedestrian area.

In this way we can also ensure a better quality of stay.

What would you wish for in terms of design?

Müller:

The soul of the place is still missing a bit.

It may be architecturally successful, but it still lacks some heart.

People always paraphrase that with green, but I think they lack something to identify with.

This could be a work of art, something that expresses the country's origins - or even an island of flowers.

We still need the unmistakable.

How do you find the heart?

Müller:

That is exactly the challenge: How do you create a center in a city of 26,000 inhabitants.

In principle, we have already achieved the centrality and the connection with the "New Center".

We have embarked on a successful path, now we must continue to do so and we must not allow ourselves to be dissuaded.

S-Bahn in Geretsried: Two things have to happen in 2023

The S-Bahn is also supposed to stop in the “Neue Mitte”.

You've been very tight on the extension plans this year.

What is your personal balance after these efforts?

Miller:

She is good.

Of course, many say that nothing happened again.

But it must be emphasized that for many years it was only discussed.

We are now in a formal process with the planning approval process.

The traffic turnaround has given public transport a stronger lobby.

That makes me hopeful with a view to the S7 extension.

The state government has given its basic commitment to the project.

A positive benefit-cost analysis is now required.

As is well known, a reassessment is taking place here, but we were told that the conditions are now more favorable.

It is then still crucial that the Free State of Bavaria and Deutsche Bahn reach a financing agreement.

We're hoping for those two things next year.

We have to make targeted use of the state elections

They repeatedly emphasize that the S7 extension from Wolfratshausen to Geretsried must be planned with the expansion and relocation of the B11 to the Schwaigwaller Hang.

Müller:

The city does not have planning authority for the two major transport projects.

But they are necessary in order to make the Geretsried-Wolfratshausen medium-sized center efficient in terms of infrastructure.

Of course, cycle paths and other measures also play a role in this context, but the S7 extension and B11 expansion are of national importance.

They should be implemented at the same time, but procedures and planning statuses differ.

How to solve this problem?

Miller:

In coordination with the Bavarian Ministry of Transport, the city takes over the B11 planning up to work phase 3, then we hand it over to the responsible state road construction office in Weilheim.

We do this in advance with our own resources to speed up the process.

It is specifically about the connections, i.e. the junctions of the B11 with Geretsried.

The north entrance, at the level of the Böhmwiese and the connection at the level of the Nikolauskapelle, are not efficient in view of the increasing traffic figures.

We commissioned the engineering office Lahmeyer Germany with the revision of work phases 1 and 2.

It also plans the S7 renewal.

Both projects go hand in hand, even if we have different planning bodies.

The Federal Railway Authority is responsible for the S-Bahn and the government of Upper Bavaria for the B11.

Why Michael Müller wants to remain mayor of Geretsried

You have decided this year that you want to run for mayor again.

Why now, the election is not until 2026?

Müller:

I wanted to counter any speculation and make it clear that Geretsried is close to my heart.

I want to continue what we started here.

The focus of my political work is in Geretsried.

Why do you like being mayor of Geretsried?

Müller:

I grew up in Geretsried.

It's nice to be able to move things forward and make a difference in the city that is also your home.

I come into contact with many people and we all pull together for our city.

Extension, renovation and merger of the middle school "on track"

What do you still want to achieve in the current term of office?

Müller:

We are strongly committed to the topics of kindergartens and schools.

We need to get on with middle school.

This means that the course has to be set so that we can get the expansion, renovation and merger on track.

The problem with childcare is that we have created enough places, but cannot fill them all because the daycare providers lack staff.

What is the current situation?

Müller:

According to the operating permit, we have created 1,418 places divided into crèches, kindergartens and after-school care or after-school care.

1350 are occupied, more is not possible due to a lack of staff.

In January, however, there will be a few shifts due to new hires.

There are currently 60 crèche children, 50 kindergarten children and 30 schoolchildren on the waiting list for lunchtime care.

However, the numbers are always a snapshot and some families do not need the places immediately, but have reserved them.

Geretsried is building a daycare center - will there be enough childcare places?

The preliminary design for a new day-care center on Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Straße is estimated to cost 10 million euros.

Will that be enough?

Müller:

Definitely for the needs of the next few years.

Everything else depends on how Geretsried develops.

I'm not assuming explosive growth.

The population will increase as it increases in the surrounding communities.

This presents challenges, but it is also a positive sign.

The growth rates in the Munich metropolitan region are a sign of economic strength.

People move here because there is something there for them.

The building and environment committee of the city council recently determined the location for the new canteen at the secondary school – on the top floor of the planned extension building.

When will the Adalbert-Stifter-Strasse be built?

Müller:

The government of Upper Bavaria has approved the five-part system.

That was always a discussion.

In the coming year, the preliminary design is to be completed and the design planning to begin.

We hope that construction will start at the end of 2024. Completion would therefore be at the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027. However, nobody has control over developments in the construction sector.

But I am confident because we have also managed other major projects.

The city of Geretsried opened the inter-municipal indoor pool in 2021 with a little flag.

© City of Geretsried

The project has dragged on for years.

Was that due to the approval of the five-fold system?

Müller:

That took time in the end, yes.

But now we can build on that decision.

We didn't want to plan a school that would be too small when it opened.

Planning was complicated.

She hung on the question of how the middle school should be designed.

We had to consider whether we should build a new one, check whether the old building from the 1970s could be renovated, and then we had to decide where to build the extension.

It should fit in well with the ensemble at the school center because it is a good location.

With the indoor pool, we had another major project in the immediate vicinity.

And in the end, the decision was made as to whether we wanted to merge both locations of the Geretsried middle school.

But once the construction has started, it usually goes relatively quickly.

Mayor Michael Müller: Outlook for the year 2023

Finally, a look into the new year: Do you already have an appointment in your calendar that you are particularly looking forward to?

Müller:

Carnival.

To be able to celebrate again, to be together, to leave everyday life behind.

Just looking forward to something that isn't fraught with problems.

Carnival is the time of happiness, I'm looking forward to it.

Already have a costume?

Mueller:

No.

I'll wear a tuxedo to the coronation ball on January 7th.

I still need something for the carnival.

But of course I won't reveal any details right now (

).

Which headline about Geretsried would you like to read in 2023?

Müller:

"The heart of the Oberland." We are the gateway to the Tölzer Land - with heart and charm.

We Geretsrieders always appear small, maybe because we've been told that for years.

But that's not how it is, as external perception shows.

We recently had another delegation, this time from Kirchheim unter Teck, in the indoor pool, which was very enthusiastic about this intercommunal project.

We are often perceived much more positively than we see ourselves.

I would wish that the people of Geretsried would pick this up and show it to the outside world.

bw

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