Environmental station as a bone of contention: what happens next in marktsteft??

In the beginning there was this plan: the town of marktsteft is bringing new life to its old harbor. The county wants to use part of the facility – about 30 percent of the available space in a rough industrial hall – to build an environmental station. A prestigious project with a focus on education for sustainable development (ESD).

So far the plan, which was brought in may 2019 on the way. With a lot of goodwill, a few promises and a clear schedule: the environmental station can go into operation in the fall of 2021. Time went by, there were delays and corona, things got bumpy, nerves started to fray. Marktsteft increasingly attracts the displeasure of many district councillors. There were deadlines, ultimatums – and never a real go-ahead for the project.

A never ending story in the meantime. And so the topic was once again on the agenda monday afternoon at the youngest meeting of the county's environmental committee. "Environmental station – current status" was the item on the agenda, and it was a tough one. A written proposal from the administration was handed out, which dealt with a possible project stop: the district suggested that marktsteft should think again carefully, whether the plan "old harbor" should be continued or not still feasible. Or whether the matter is not already threatening to run out of control in terms of costs, whereby the corona effects could once again further aggravate the financial situation.

Not by hook or by crook

The district has offered to contribute to the planning costs incurred to date. The signal was clear: the thing does not have to be pulled off by hook or by crook, and possibly end up in the "taxpayers' black book" to land, as josef mend (free choice) pointed out. The cost estimates alone have recently seen astonishing leaps: from 5.6 million euros to a good 7.3 million euros.

On the one hand, this put an exit scenario on the table. At the same time, however, there is also something like a plan B: if marktsteft sticks to the renewal of the harbor area, the district will proceed as follows: wait, locate the possible office for the environmental station in an empty office in kitzingen for the time being, and only get involved again when marktsteft has got everything underway and the overall concept is implemented.

With this the discussion was already open. District administrator tamara bischof noted that the proposal was intended to signal to marktsteft that a pullback would not be a break in the leg. It is a "handout": now is the last time to re-evaluate everything. Marktsteft is faced with a lot of obligatory tasks – a cure does not fit into the time. The proposal has now "taken the pressure off" for the first time.

Many things went wrong

For the CSU, otto hunnerkopf was "irritated", that the proposal came out of nowhere during the meeting. Timo markert and friedrich haag, the other CSU speakers, were in no doubt that they wanted to stick with the environmental station project in marktsteft.

On the other hand, the SPD and the "freie wahler" recalled that many things had gone fundamentally wrong so far and that they had expected a different kind of cooperation with the city of marktsteft. There is still a lack of "serious financial planning", emphasized josef mend. And for the SPD, robert finster pointed out the lack of trust and the fact that they have been fed up for a long time already.

Lively discussion

The lively and detailed discussion finally ended in two resolutions, both of which were adopted by a vote of 10:3: on the one hand, the district suggests that the city of marktsteft should reconsider its project at the old harbor. If the project is stopped, the county will contribute to the previous planning costs. If it goes ahead, the city council must clearly state that marktsteft will fully assume all possible uncovered costs.

And: the county stops its planning for the environmental station until marktsteft is ready with the implementation of its plan for the 70 percent of the remaining area. Whether this is in two or five years is of no decisive importance for the time being, as the district is first looking for an office for the ESD project in the city center of kitzingen as an interim solution.