“We want to do a lot in the area of investment this year,” says Anne Wilkens-Lindemann, mayor of the municipality of Colnrade. Nevertheless, the budget for 2024 manages without loans. The Council has now passed this unanimously – with one abstention.
A major project is still the renovation of the village community center (DGH), combined with the upgrading of the fishing center on the first floor of the building. According to the mayor, a lot of things should also be done on our own. The planned costs are around 200,000 euros, with 80 percent of the eligible costs coming from Leader funds. “The effort is intimidating at first, but I would like to encourage others to try it too. “We couldn’t do it on our own,” says Wilkens-Lindemann, grateful for the funding.
Grateful for support
She is also grateful for the support from, among others, the community, the Christian Meyer-Ratz architectural firm from Lerchenhausen (Twistringen) and the leader management. Because the council members, as volunteers, cannot manage a project like this alone. And: “You have to have staying power.” Planning has been going on for about two years.
But it should finally start soon: we are currently waiting for approval from the Office for Regional Development (ArL), then work on the electrical system can begin first. The village community center will have to remain closed for a long time for the renovation, but it will be open until Easter, says the mayor. After that, fewer groups would use the rooms anyway, as some only depend on them in the winter months. It is possible that the European elections could be held in the new fire station.
Further investments this year
Further investments this year will go into new benches for the village square and the expansion of the streets in the new “Holtesche” development area. According to Wilkens-Lindemann, money has already been saved for the latter in recent years. The plan is to spend around half a million euros. Whether that will happen or be less or more remains to be seen.
Money also had to be spent because of the prolonged rain, which left its mark on the community. There are problems with drainage. This means that a lot of water can sometimes no longer drain away properly. There was recently an on-site appointment with the Lower Water Authority and the Hunte Entertainment Association on Am Born Street. Conclusion: The drainage needs to be replaced in some places.
The municipality benefits from the lower levies for the joint municipality and the Oldenburg district: In total, it will have to pay around 53,000 euros less in 2024 than last year. “That’s quite good for us, but it could be different next year,” said the mayor.
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2024-02-22 13:47:04
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