The renovation of the Ogterop theater in Meppel seems to be happening after all. The brand new coalition of the municipality of Meppel has agreed to allocate an additional 7 million euros for this. Sterk Meppel, VVD and CDA said this during the presentation of their coalition agreement.
Actually, the renovation of the theater in the city should have already started. But nothing has happened yet. This is because the renovation is already almost 7 million euros more expensive. The only contractor interested in carrying out the project has sent a quote that is much higher than what the municipality took into account. The fact that the quotation is so high is partly due to the situation in the world. Materials have become more expensive and wages have also risen.
Sterk Meppel, the largest party in Meppel, had previously said that not an extra cent would go to the theater for the renovation, and other parties also agreed. There has now been a twist. Because the coalition agreement, which contains the plans for the next four years, states that there will be extra money for the theater. “A bitter pill,” says Eduard Annen, who becomes an alderman on behalf of Sterk Meppel. “This was a complicated and difficult decision for us, as well as for the VVD and Sterk Meppel,” says Klaas-Jan Dunnink, CDA faction leader.
If the 7 million euros had not been raised, Meppel would most likely no longer have a theater. “We really wanted to keep a theater for the city,” says Dunnink. “We are now really looking at the long term,” Annen adds. “This is not a reasonable investment for four years, but we also want to keep a theater after this political period.”