Oldambt gives ‘go’ for city hall. Council majority agrees to extra credit of 6.3 million

The next step is now to launch a European tender. According to councilor Erich Wünker (VVD), there is a lot of enthusiasm from the construction sector to build the town hall. A number of builders have indicated that they are interested in realizing the project in the heart of Winschoten. Where possible, the municipality wants to work with a regional construction company.

It is currently unclear whether the amount of more than 31 million euros made available will be sufficient. An external agency has assured Oldambt that the amount is ‘in line with the market’, Wünker knows. “We stick to that. If not, we will have to sit down again.”

Opposition warns of rising costs

For opposition parties VCP and Oldambt Aktief it is clear that ‘the project will become more expensive and the residents will have to pay the extra bill through cutbacks. They point to the construction of cultural center De Klinker. Ultimately, many millions more had to be put on the table.

Coalition parties VVD and Municipal Interests Oldambt (GBO) voted against new construction of the city hall in 2019 and are now making a huge turn, according to the VCP by agreeing to the proposal.

According to GBO and VVD, the project can no longer be stopped. A lot of money has already been invested in the preparation, several million, suggests Albert Kuiper (GBO). “And investing heavily in the current buildings, in terms of energy label and complying with occupational health and safety legislation, also costs a lot of money. In short, there is actually no alternative.”

Favorable interest rate

Wünker acknowledges that the extra credit is a setback. “On the other hand, we have extended the credit of 25 million euros in a loan with a very favorable interest rate, around zero percent.”

Since 2018, the Oldambt council has regularly discussed the construction of a town hall. A new town hall is needed, because civil servants still have a workplace criss-crossing Oldambt since the reorganization in 2010. In addition, the office behind the monumental town hall no longer meets today’s requirements. The energy consumption alone is high.

The new city hall to be built will provide workplaces for approximately 280 employees. “We are moving from four current locations to one location, so that annual costs – including energy and maintenance costs – will not increase.”

Wünker expects that the first work can start before the summer. If everything goes smoothly, the building can be put into use at the end of 2026. In addition to a new city hall, HEMA is also being given a ‘new look’. Necessary too, many believe, because hardly anything has changed in the building since it opened exactly 50 years ago.

Dust clouds above Winschoten

The work for a new city hall is not an isolated project. Almost simultaneously, work is also underway on the Blauwe Roos, the roundabout that connects to Winschoten from the A7. The intention is for this work to take place between mid-April and mid-May.

Additional lanes are being constructed, the roundabout on Beertsterweg is being tackled and a new roundabout will be built next to the riding school at Oostereinde. To ensure the accessibility of the merchant city in the right direction, the province of Groningen, responsible for the Blue Rose, has commissioned ‘Groningen Bereikbaar’. This organization has been involved in the construction of the new Ring Road in the city of Groningen for years.

In addition to the city center project De Poort van Winschoten and Blauwe Roos, the demolition of the Lucas, the former hospital in Winschoten, will also start before the summer. Wünker realizes that many dust clouds will rise in Winschoten this year and that a lot of freight and construction traffic will determine the street scene in the center. “But it is necessary to give the center of Winschoten a boost again.”