Syker local council discussed about drinking fountains despite financial concerns

Syker local council discussed about drinking fountains despite financial concerns

In Syke, the local council plans to offer visitors to the city center free access to drinking water. This initiative, which has already met with resistance in the past, is again up for debate. On September 2, at a meeting of the local council, an application was made to provide 20,000 euros in the coming budget year for the purchase of a drinking well.

The local council has presented similar applications in the past, but they always failed due to the high costs of purchasing and maintenance. Despite these obstacles, the local council cannot be discouraged. "We need that!", Ariane Thiel from the Greens convinced, while Peter Jahnke from the SPD also supported the idea and asked to finally take concrete steps. Mayor Gaby Stait (FWG) argued that this was an important contribution to the health of citizens.

The resistance to the drinking fountain

However, there was also a headwind. Florian Kastner, who comes from the same parliamentary group as the local mayor, expressed concerns. As a business owner in the main street, he doubts the need for a drinking fountain in view of the tense budget situation of the city. "We do not necessarily have a balanced household," he made it clear, and asked the local council to improve the road conditions, which in his opinion needed more attention.

Building director Pascal Heidhoff also explained that the annual costs for cleaning and maintaining a drinking well would be an estimated 2000 to 3000 euros, while the acquisition costs could be at least 23,000 to 25,000 euros. He complained that an application over 20,000 euros would be underfunded for such a project from the outset. He also denied the possibility of funding because the fountain, according to the current status, was not eligible.

Despite the concerns, the local council voted uniformly for the application. In addition to the discussion about the drinking fountain, it was also decided to buy three "hiking trees" - mobile trees in planters with seating. Ariane Thiel presented the idea that these trees could be borrowed from shops or kindergartens. The money required for this comes from the local council's own budget.

These two projects could upgrade public space in Syke and offer the citizens and visitors of the city additional amenities. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether the financial feasibility of the drinking fountain can be realized after strong arguments against the project have been raised.