(Click on a photo to enlarge)
The lifeguards’ building and the outdoor changing rooms have now gone.
Schüssel Live – The Schnuudedunker
October 4, 2012 By
“What’s a Schnuudedunker” you may ask?
“Schnuudedunker” is the name of the latest act from local comedian “Schüssel”, that premiered at the Brauhaus last Saturday. The event was sold out, and given that the room only had space for 97 guests everyone was in some way close to the stage.
But Schüssel doesn’t stay on the stage all evening. He sings. And some of his songs he writes himself, such as “Ein Euro für die Schüssel, die Schüssel die ist Pleite” (“A Euro for Schüssel, Schüssel is Broke”) and “Jetzt sind wir Pleite in unser’ Städtchen” (“Now we’re broke in out little town”), the first of which he performed cap in hand, leading some members of the audience to really put a Euro in.
The unexpected “collection” came to €27.07, a sachet of ketchup, a sachet of mayonnaise and a sachet of mustard, the financial part of which will be donated to the local charity that he runs. [Read more…]
The last sunset over Oberursel’s outdoor swimming pool… for now
September 16, 2012 By
These photos were taken during the last hour of the outdoor swimming pool (Freibad) in Oberursel, on Sunday, 16th September, 2012, between 6pm and 7pm.
As the sun set over the trees, the pool slowly emptied, the gate was locked up for the last time and the guests slowly made their way home – some of them with souvenirs from the buildings that are due to be knocked down next week.
The pool is due to re-open for the summer season in 2014.
(Click on any photo to enlarge and start the slide show)
Free entry to the swimming pool on the last day
September 15, 2012 By
On the last day of the open-air pool season, entry to the swimming pool (Freibad) in Oberursel will be free of charge before the pool closes for demolition work to start on the changing rooms to make way for the new indoor pool. It is set to re-open for the summer season in 2014.
That last day is tomorrow: Sunday, 16th September, 2012 between 7am and 7pm.
Who says that we can’t afford a swimming pool?
September 14, 2012 By
The Bürgerversammlung about the new swimming pool last week appears to have a lasting effect on many in Oberursel, because in the space of just a few days the political landscape in the town has changed dramatically.
Let me try and explain the past few years in simple terms first:
1. The indoor pool in the town was closed because the roof was deemed unstable.
2. The coalition of CDU and FDP wanted to sell of a sports field (Altkönigsportplatz) and the swimming pool car park to finance a new building, and an architect came up with a design to include a sauna and modernise the outside pool at the same time.
3. At the town parliament elections last year, the SPD, Green party and OBG were all behind the swimming pool, but did not want to sell of the sports field, and although the CDU remained the largest party in the parliament, the SPD/Green/OBG coalition gained a majority.
4. SPD/Green/OBG drew up a coalition agreement that they would build a new swimming pool, but would borrow at most only 20% of the capital needed to do so and would not sell of the sports field.
5. It was then decided just to build a new indoor pool and leave space for a sauna, moving work on the outdoor pool to a later date.
6. Planning permission was given, changes to Bebauungspläne were approved, and companies started giving quotes on the cost of actually building it.
7. A few weeks ago they even held a press conference to announce that building work would be starting soon.
You could say that everything was going swimmingly, until the town’s treasurer explained why the town could not afford to build it. [Read more…]
Why Oberursel can’t afford to build a new swimming pool
September 7, 2012 By
The Stadthalle was packed full on Wednesday evening for the “Bürgerversammlung” to discuss the new swimming pool.
Hans-Georg Brum (Mayor)
It all started off quite well, with the mayor Hans-Georg Brum asking the question “if we don’t build it now, when will we?” and pointing out the value of the new indoor swimming pool for the schools in the town and in general for children, youths and older people, stressing the fact that it was not just for the swimming club (SCO) and the lifeguards (DLRG).
With a nod to the financial problems he asked the politicians in the town to stand behind the project, claiming that if everyone wants it to happen, somehow it will be possible. For this he received a round of applause.
The next presentation was about the building itself, but finally led to the calculation of how the project is going to be financed. For the first time, the public were shown a list of the pieces of land that are to be sold off to raise the capital. Or at least, the roads in which these pieces of land are in.
Perhaps most interesting at this point was [Read more…]
Can Oberursel afford to build a new swimming pool?
September 4, 2012 By
The indoor swimming pool in Oberursel has now been closed for four years and is now probably one of the most discussed topics amongst the people and in particular the politicians in the town.
Last week it was on the agenda of the planning and environmental committee at the town hall, this week there is a Bürgerversammlung to update everyone on the current state of the planning and to allow people to put forward their views. Next week the town council is due to vote on the project. And various Bebauungspläne have been amended to allow for land to be sold off and built on to finance it all.
But it is the financial situation that remains the biggest question of all: can the town afford it? [Read more…]
Bürgerversammlung: Oberursel’s swimming pool
September 2, 2012 By
A “Bürgerversammlung” – a meeting of the local people – is being held in the Stadthalle on Wednesday, 5th September 2012 at 7.30pm.
The meeting is to inform anyone interested about the current state of the planning for the new swimming pool, due to be built next year in Oberursel.
At the moment the major issues are likely to be the decision to postpone some of the work to a later date and also how the project is to be financed.
Anyone can attend and put forward their point of view. Minutes of the meeting are usually published later on the town’s website.
What will happen to these trees at the swimming pool car park?
July 17, 2012 By
Oberursel needs a new swimming pool – I think most people in the town would agree on that.
And although they may not have agreed on how to finance it in the past, the current plan is to sell off the current car park as building land.
Again, most people would probably agree with that. If only it wasn’t for these trees:
(Click to enlarge)
The trees form a border between the current houses along the Altkönigstraße and the car park, and in the Bebauungsplan (Nr. 218) only the part of the row to the right of the photo is set to remain. [Read more…]
From the town council: Childcare costs and other news
July 1, 2012 By
Protests on the Rathausplatz
The town council (Stadtverordnetenversammlung) this week started an hour earlier than usual to the sound of protests outside the Rathaus from local parents and the party “Die Linke” in connection with the rise in childcare costs in the town.
It was this increase in costs that had been discussed at such length at the previous sitting of the council and the proposals on the table this week were pretty much the ones that had been presented to parents mid-June.
And despite the fact that a sub-committee had already debated the latest proposals and even the parents that had were present at that meeting had had a chance to put their point of view, a further debate ensued in the council meeting with each party putting forward their arguments – again. [Read more…]
