As of: January 23, 2024, 10:21 a.m
By: Toni Schwaiger
Comments
Press
Split
This is what the new fire station in Kaufering should look like.
If everything goes according to plan, new construction could begin in 2027.
© Visualization: dasch zürn + partner
Kaufering - Next chapter in a seemingly never-ending story: the construction of the new fire station has been postponed until 2027. The market town cannot currently afford the 13 million euro project.
How long will Commander Markus Rietig have to deal with the issue?
He has been active with the Kauferinger Wehrwehr for 25 years now and recently received the Silver Cross of Honor for this, and for more than half of this time a lot revolves around the new building.
Since 2010, the project has concerned the administration and the fire department equally, and in 2019 the local council finally passed a resolution.
Estimated construction costs: four million euros.
Last year there was great horror when, after a realization competition held in 2021, the figures for the new building design on Augsburger Straße were presented: a good 16.5 million euros, four times as much as assumed in 2019.
The local council nevertheless approved the draft in November.
However, the financing of the project was not yet secured.
The Floriansjünger’s new home should be ready by mid-2026.
But now those responsible pulled the ripcord in a non-public meeting on January 17th: “Due to the current budget situation and the expected negative consequences for the Kaufering market, the construction of the new fire station must be postponed until 2027,” said Mayor Thomas Salzberger .
He admits that the news “certainly causes some surprise, irritation and astonishment,” which he can certainly understand.
The main and most important reason for the decision is that the market currently has no financial resources available for the new building.
And with external financing through loans in the double-digit million range, the municipality would “hardly be able to act” for years due to the high interest and repayment burden.
On the other hand, the market has a number of other mandatory tasks to fulfill: including school renovations and kindergarten expansion.
Salzberger, to the chagrin of the Florians' disciples: "It is not possible for me to bring about and be responsible for a conscious, illegal over-indebtedness of the market."
And what's next for the fire department?
The new building has been fully planned and the road reconstruction, which will provide all Kaufering citizens with new driving options, has been carried out.
The building application has already been submitted to the district office, and the money for further steps will be included in the 2027 budget.
The mayor concluded: “If financial flexibility arises in the meantime, we are ready to act at any time and start the new building.”