Come up with ideas to make the provincial capital more beautiful, better or safer. It happens weekly at the town hall in Assen. But whether residents agree with this, the council members do not immediately hear. The Asser council is therefore looking for ideas from residents and is going into the neighborhoods for this. Tonight residents of the center could lose their egg.
More trees in the Rolderstraat, a park behind the town hall or a roof over the tennis court. If it is up to the people of Assen who came to restaurant Antje’s Taverne tonight, those plans should be made in Assen.
“A blowing hall over a tennis court, we think that’s an excellent plan,” says Michel Berends, chairman of the ATV de Hertenkamp tennis and padel club. He likes a dome-shaped, inflated space that can be placed over tennis courts. “It’s too cold for the elderly or children with a disability to play tennis in the winter. That’s why a space like this is ideal for all weather conditions.”
Good proposal, also thinks council member Luc Rengers of Assen Central. “Investing in sports is always good,” he believes. It may sound nice, but there are also costs associated with that plan: about 360,000 euros. “It is first about vision, and then about the money. And Assen wants to be a sports city and be inclusive. That calls for indoor accommodation,” said chairman Berends.
A little further on, at another table, plans are being written down on beer mats. ‘More green in the city’, can be read on it, among other things. “Such as planters and trees in the area,” says resident Theo. “And we also talked about the Rolderstraat, because we would like that street to look better. Because that is really a thorn in the eye,” said the Assenaar.
He himself lives in the Kroonwerk residential complex, above the Cité shopping centre. Many shops have left that area recently. “We want to make our voices heard tonight and we want to know what will happen to the buildings in the mall, because they are impoverished.”
PvdA councilor Willard Bouwmeester sees potential in the green plans. “I really like the idea of a park behind the town hall, near the Doevenkamp. But there are more proposals. We ended up filling three beer mats,” he laughs.
He does not know whether all ideas will ultimately lead to the submission of a motion. “We can’t do everything, of course. But I do see a number of things that we can do something with. In any case, it gives enough food for thought,” says Bouwmeester.
The chairman of the tennis association is in any case happy with this meeting. Council member Rengers also agrees. “But it should not raise too many expectations. People should not have the idea that their motion will be accepted in advance. There is a danger,” he thinks.
Tonight was the first meeting of a total of four evenings. This and next month, the council members will enter the other Asser districts. The tour is a prelude to a motion market, which takes place at the end of June. All ideas are explained in this market, after which councilors can decide to use them to submit a motion during a municipal council meeting. If the council then agrees to that motion, the idea can be implemented.