The hall of the Asser town hall must be converted into a ‘hospitable and accessible meeting place’, if it is up to the municipal council. The costs of this amount to 2.5 million euros. The investment is included in next year’s municipal budget.
The mayor and aldermen want ‘everyone to feel welcome in our city home’. This mainly concerns residents and guests who want to get in touch with the municipality in an accessible way.
A redesign plan will be drawn up for the central hall on the ground floor next year, including a so-called ‘contact square’. The square is designed in close consultation with visitors and employees. There should also be a work café and a meeting center on the ground floor.
The municipal council often meets in a room on the first floor. But according to councilor Jan Broekema, this is no longer desirable, because this meeting room is not accessible to everyone. Furthermore, the high central public desk in the hall will disappear and security will be improved.
For the time being, an amount of 2.5 million euros has been reserved for tackling the hall. But the work will not be carried out immediately next year. The adjustments are combined with measures to make City Hall more sustainable. For example, the climate control installations must also be completely replaced. “We do this simultaneously for efficiency and cost savings,” according to B and W. It will therefore take at least another two years before the conversion of the town hall hall is completed.
Five years ago, the Asser council chamber on the ground floor was converted for 600,000 euros. There was a completely new political arena, a different sound system and voting equipment and new furniture. The meeting room was also adapted in such a way that attractive wedding ceremonies can be held.