Dispute over a new fire station: Westeraus Hope for funding wanks!

Dispute over a new fire station: Westeraus Hope for funding wanks!

in the small community of Westerau, where just 760 inhabitants live, the planned new fire brigade house creates heated discussions. On June 23, a decision on the draft should be made in the local council, but the meeting was postponed at short notice. Mayor Petra Jürß spoke of a "vague" Situation and described the matter as a "dilemma". The desired budget for the new building is a proud 3.5 million euros, which causes unrest among the parishioners, how ln-online.de reported.

A central problem that the community has to deal with is the financing. Since the summer of 2022, the state of Schleswig-Holstein has no longer provided money to promote new fire brigade houses. This leads to difficulties in finding suitable funding programs. The project was presented in a residents' meeting on June 12; The residents have long been longing for the new building, especially since the Trenthorst volunteer fire brigade was dissolved four years ago.

funding opportunities at a glance

The Minister of the Interior, Sabine Sütterlin-Waack, emphasizes the country's support for these important projects. For 2023, Schleswig-Holstein provides a total of 8.5 million euros to help municipalities with new buildings of fire station or the renovation of existing facilities. Applications can be made by municipalities, circles and independent cities, with the funding amount varied between 15,000 and 300,000 euros. The conditions are clear: a maximum of 50 percent of the total costs are covered, and at least 20 percent of each municipality has to apply, such as the schleswig-holstein.de supplemented.

When asked why the new building is so urgently needed, the answer comes promptly. The existing community house is to continue to be used for the village community, but the fire brigade urgently needs modern rooms to meet the requirements. The current plan provides for a pure fire brigade equipment house on Ratzeburger Strasse, while the original idea of ​​combining it with a community house was rejected.

The way forward

Mayor Jürß currently has a meeting with the Hanseatic fire brigade accident fund (HFUK) to clarify further steps. On the horizon, a special meeting of the municipal council in August is emerging, in which it is to be decided how it will go on. Citizens have also expressed their concerns about the high investment; However, Jürß is understanding and takes the criticism seriously. There is not much time, because the application deadline for the funding ends on October 31, 2023.

Overall, the search for financial support for the construction of the fire station is a multi -layered undertaking. In addition to the funding provided, Schleswig-Holstein also relies on the income from the fire protection tax, which should contribute to improving the fire brigade structure. It remains to be seen whether and how the Westerau fire brigade can benefit from these programs. But one thing is certain: in Westerau you worry and show commitment to the security of your citizens, even if the path is stony, as [dukegum-direkt.de] (https://herzogtum-direkt.de/index.php/2023/23/land-unterstuetz-den-aus-auf- von-feuerwehrhaeusern/) reports.