The municipal council of Neustadt had no objection. If the district office now also plays a role, a day care center could be opened in September.
Photo: Thorsten Schwab / Neustadt municipality
They have been empty for almost three years: The four buildings in the Neustadt monastery complex, in which the Caritas Association of the Diocese of Würzburg operated a rehabilitation facility and most recently also looked after unaccompanied minor refugees. At least in the southernmost of these buildings, new life could soon return: The Caritas Association plans to set up a day care center there.
A hurdle on the way there has now been cleared: The Neustadt municipal council gave its approval at its meeting on Thursday. Now the decision of the district office is pending – but there is no reason why this could have something against it. Because, as the district office itself has determined, there is a need for such after-school care for school children with special educational needs, especially in the south of the district.
Photo: Roland Pleier
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For now, only one group is planned
Hubert Grauer, property manager at the Caritas Association, explained this when asked by the editorial team. According to Grauer, initially only a group with nine children is planned. “With a little optimism,” says Grauer, it could be set up at the beginning of the school year in September. A second group could be added later. The sponsorship would be taken over by the Caritas Association of the Main-Spessart district.
Caritas used the four buildings in the vicinity of the Dominican Missionary Monastery as a rehabilitation facility until it was relocated to the Heuchelhof district of Würzburg in 2017. In the same year, the last unaccompanied, underage refugees were adopted, who had been quartered and looked after there since 2015. The Caritas Association then even considered demolishing the building that is now being used to build a new home for the disabled. However, these plans were put on hold in March last year.
the next steps
According to Grauer, the southern building in the monastery courtyard was built between 1977 and 1979 in a historic style. Initially, only the first floor should be used, he explained. “Clarifying building regulations is only a first step,” he clarified. At the same time, Caritas is striving for refinancing and the operating license. “Both are going on.”
The Main-Spessart district office confirms the need in this area. So far, there are only two institutions of this type in the district, both in the north: a group in Karlstadt with the Lebenshilfe as a sponsor, a second in the Kreuzkloster in Gemünden, both with nine students, said press spokesman Holger Steiger when asked by the editorial team. The Kreuzkloster is currently planning to set up a second group.
Photo: Roland Pleier
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The necessary conversion measures are kept within manageable limits. The department head for real estate explained that costs for new sanitary blocks and new partitions are set at 200,000 euros.
Which is not yet ready to be said
As for the three other empty buildings in the monastery courtyard, there are discussions with interested parties, Grauer explained. In this regard, however, “nothing is yet to be said”. It is in the nature of the Caritas Association that it naturally wants social use.
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Neustadt am Main
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Roland Pleier
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Homes for the disabled
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Operating license
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Caritas
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building
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Counseling
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minority
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District
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Schoolchildren
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Special education
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City councils and municipal councils
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