The plans of the Sauerlach municipality not to be responsible for the planned new building for the Kinderland daycare center itself, but to outsource it to a third party, are making waves. Parents of children at the facility recently expressed concern in the municipal council about the plans – they fear that childcare places could be lost if the municipality itself does not appear as the builder. Mayor Barbara Bogner (Independent Citizens’ Association/UBV) tried to allay the parents’ worries and promised that there would continue to be a “six-group kindergarten” with sufficient childcare places, regardless of who built the daycare center.
The children’s area is currently housed in a temporary building made of containers in the south-east of the main town. However, this is to be dissolved and the day-care center is to be moved to a permanent new building. For this purpose, the Catholic parish association has provided the community with a piece of land on Reißerweg near the multi-purpose hall Am Otterloher Feld. Actually, the municipality wanted to be responsible for the new building itself and also finance it, so that it could then be handed over to a sponsor. In view of the tense budget situation, however, the municipal council decided, following a corresponding application by the CSU parliamentary group, to look for a client for the construction of the new building, as Bogner explained.
This about-face, however, gave some parents a fright. Daniela Karl, whose three-year-old daughter attends Kinderland, said she and other mothers and fathers were completely surprised by the decision. “We have a legitimate interest in early integration and communication,” criticizes Karl. So far, according to the mother, everyone assumed that the provisional arrangement would be dissolved and that the community would build itself. “It’s also about registering for the next kindergarten year. We’re wondering where we’re going, what’s going to happen with Kinderland. There are still so many unanswered questions.”
The containers will remain until the new building is up and running
Mayor Bogner assures that all previous decisions in the municipal council have been made transparently and publicly. “If you are unsure, call the person in our town hall who allocates the seats,” she appealed to Karl at the meeting. “Or call me.” In any case, the temporary container will remain in place until the new building is finally ready for occupancy. Bogner outlined the timetable for the construction of the day care center: “We plan for 2023, whether we build as a municipality or someone else. The building permit will be granted in 2024, and we will move into 2025. The construction of a larger building will take a year and a half.” According to Bogner, talks that would be held promptly will show whether the children’s area based in Weyarn in the neighboring district of Miesbach will continue to operate the daycare center.
According to the mayor, the biggest problem at the moment is the shortage of skilled workers anyway. But nobody needs to worry, added CSU councilor Markus Hoffmann: “The municipality has a duty to make places available.”