The municipality of Coevorden wants to allocate almost 16 million euros extra for the realization of a multifunctional center (MFC) in Schoonoord. According to the mayor and aldermen, the money is needed for a new sports hall and for relocating the village hall to the MFC.
This means that a total of 21 million euros is involved in this project. The municipal council must still agree to this additional investment.
The currently proposed amount of 15.8 million – which must be taken from the general reserve of the municipality – is in addition to the more than 5.2 million euros that was already allocated earlier this year for the construction of a new complex for the two outdated primary schools in the village: CBS De Slagkrooie and obs SJ Burgemeester van Royen (including childcare).
The intention is that the construction of these schools will be started in advance of the other parts of the MFC, because the existing schools are ready for demolition. The school boards are therefore already working out a plan, with the wish to start here in the 2025/2026 school year. In a second phase, the new complex can be expanded into the multifunctional center.
To make the latter possible, the council is now asking the council for extra money to build a new sports hall (9.2 million euros) and a new village hall (3.9 million euros) at the intended new construction site – the sports field south of Sportparklaan. ) build.
Furthermore, money is needed for, among other things, student transport to other sports locations during the construction phase, the demolition of the old sports hall, the construction of sufficient parking space and write-down of the book value of the old village hall on Kerklaan in Schoonoord.
In addition, the plan now also includes a relocation of tennis club De Return and korfball club SDO, so that all sports clubs in the village come together.
According to the council, alternatives have also been investigated in recent months, namely renovation of the existing sports hall and keeping the village hall at its current location. The proposal that is now going to the municipal council does not opt for this. The roof contains asbestos sheets with holes in them, and the building is not sustainable and the furnishings are ‘outdated’.
Renovation of the 1984 sports hall would, it now appears, cost approximately 4.5 million euros. This is cheaper than new construction, but according to the council, in new construction, a larger size of the sports floor can be chosen that better suits current requirements. In addition, according to the council, it is possible to combine new construction with changing rooms for both indoor and outdoor sports.
When it comes to a possible relocation of the village hall, the council states that it may be possible to choose to leave this village hall in its current location for the time being. This prevents capital destruction, as this building was renovated in 2014. However, it is now proposed to include the village hall in the plan. “The main reason for this is the negative exploitation due to, among other things, low occupancy and high costs of an external manager.”
In addition, the village hall will be fully depreciated in 2039 anyway. “Part of the chosen scenario is to house the village hall – possibly in the long term – in the MFC, so that a total facility is created for education, sports and meeting.”
At the end of November, a council committee in Coevorden will consider the plans and investments. The municipality’s wish is that the multifunctional center in the village will be ready by the end of 2026 at the latest.