Will Schoonoord temporarily receive an inflatable sports hall? According to the volunteers who have been working on the plan for a multifunctional center in the village for years, that would be a good idea. In this way it can bridge the demolition and construction time for the new MFC sports hall.
Because the multimillion-dollar plan that is now in place provides for a completely new center. Including a new sports hall, village hall, schools and childcare. This new heart of Schoonoord should be located at the current location of the sports hall on Sportparklaan in the coming years. So demolition must first take place and then new construction must take place. During that period, the village has to make do without sports facilities.
“In the meantime, there must be an alternative, especially for young athletes,” said Hennie Spreen on behalf of the steering committee that has been thinking about the MFC plan since 2015. The steering group includes sports clubs, entrepreneurs, village interests and schools. “The demolition and construction phase could easily take two years, that takes too long,” Spreen said on Tuesday evening during the meeting of the council committee in Coevorden. “Young athletes have to travel to sports facilities in Oosterhesselen or Sleen during that period. We are afraid that this will reduce the motivation to exercise, and that parents may also drop out.”
It remains to be seen whether that inflatable sports hall will be built. Councilor Joop Slomp (PvdA) held off on Tuesday evening. “We roughly calculated this idea and we quickly arrived at a cost of 250,000 euros. Our preference is to organize transport to sports locations in other villages.”
The realization of the MFC in Schoonoord requires an investment of 21 million euros in total. More than 5 million had already been released earlier this year for the construction of a new school complex for CBS De Slagkrooie and obs SJ Burgemeester van Royen. In two weeks the council will make a decision on the additional amount of 15.8 million, for, among other things, a new sports hall and village hall in the center. The current sports hall is dated and there are holes in the roof.
The council committee did not reveal the back of its tongue on Tuesday evening. Questions arose, among other things, about the required number of changing rooms, the difference in costs between renovation of the current sports hall or new construction and about the current occupancy rate of this hall. Slomp: “The occupancy rate is approximately 30 percent, but that also fits with the character of the village. What is more important is that our starting point is that a sports hall should remain in Schoonoord.”
About the difference in costs, the councilor said: “The annual costs in depreciation are quite close to each other: 272,000 euros per year if we renovate, compared to 290,000 per year for new construction. Then I think: if we do it, then we have to do it. We will do it right right away and build a sports hall that better matches the new requirements in terms of size.”
A critical note came from Floris Vulto (VVD), who wondered whether more research should not have been done recently about the MFC. “In my opinion, this proposal has hardly been investigated further, only some figures have been calculated. I don’t understand it, we thought that additional research would follow.” That appears not to be the case. “What’s in front of us now, that’s it,” Slomp said.
Sandra Katerberg (CDA) emphasized the importance of seeking as much cooperation as possible between the different users within the MFC. “For example, consider a canteen function within the village hall, for the sports clubs. And students from the schools can cook or give presentations in the village hall.”
The councilor sees possibilities in more cooperation. “Ultimately, with many conversations and agreements between the various users, we will need fewer net square meters. Everyone had submitted their wish list in advance. By emphasizing collaboration in the use of space, we will ultimately be better off financially.” According to the councilor, good consultation is also necessary when it comes to the number of changing rooms required within the MFC. “We will work on this further by combining the different competition schedules with the associations.”
It will become clear on Tuesday, December 12, whether Schoonoord will get its new village heart. Spreen: “We hope that the council will agree in two weeks. That would be a huge boost for the quality of life in Schoonoord.”