BSV Lootuinen presented its plans for a unique playground to the city council of Coevorden tonight. She hopes to receive a subsidy of 150,000 euros. In an inspired speech under the watchful eye of a full public gallery, Sandra Sakko appealed for help from the municipality.
The city council responded with compliments to the nomination of BSV Lootuinen, but also had a few questions.
Sandra Sakko is chairman of the neighborhood and playground association and spoke during the meeting: “The playground needs renovation, or at least very heavy maintenance. When we organized the egg hunt together with care institution Cosis, I saw that a lot of their clients could not participate because the playground is not accessible for wheelchairs and walkers, so we thought of making it a more widely accessible meeting place, so that everyone can play and meet others.”
The LEADER application has been rejected and that is why Sakko is now here: “It has failed on pre-financing, among other things. Who can realize 350,000 euros within three weeks if it cannot also be municipal money?” (One of the requirements of a LEADER grant is that it is not already funded by a government, ed.)
“Many sponsoring companies had already sponsored many neighborhoods in the area and as long as no municipal money was put in, they will not participate,” Sakko tells the city council. “So we now have a closed playground.”
It is not due to the enthusiasm of the chairman of the neighborhood and playground association, but perhaps it is due to the subsidy applications. Erik Holties (BBC2014) quotes this. Sakko says that she would indeed need concrete help from the municipality with this.
Gilbert Mulder (PvdA) will soon put the subject of the meeting center in Lootuinen on the political agenda.