“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the denomination in Oudeschild could be restored to its former glory?” Dirk Schagen and Kees Jongedijk are very excited to investigate opportunities for a breakthrough in the dike at the port. The Oudeschilders come from the time when the denomination was the connection between the village and the port. “But the port is now difficult to reach due to the stairs,” says Schagen. The old passage was closed in 1980 for safety reasons.
A denomination is a passage through a dike. Schagen and Jongedijk walk their dogs behind the Oudeschild dike almost every day. “In our opinion, a horrible staircase was built a few years ago during the dyke reinforcement,” says Schagen. “That staircase is very wide with only a handrail on the left and right side. There should actually also be a handrail in the middle.”
The Oudeschilders see many people struggling to climb the stairs. “In our opinion, that should really change.” Thoughts quickly drifted to the realization of a new denomination. This should be located where the stairs are now located at the end of the Heemskerckstraat. “We have a denomination in Den Oever and Harlingen. These were recently constructed. Why couldn’t that be done here when they were working on the dike?” Schagen wonders.
The denomination was removed from the building plans during the dyke reinforcement a few years ago, because the safety requirements prescribe that a denomination must be at least 5.10 meters above Normal Amsterdam Level (NAP). The current crown of the dike is barely 6 meters above NAP. So there would only be 0.9 meters of the dike.
The Old Painters do not accept this. Visitors to the harbor who cannot take the stairs must take a narrow footpath. “You can’t pass each other properly,” says Schagen. “So people with a rollator will walk across the roadway. That creates dangerous situations.”
As a result, the two Oudeschilders have pulled out the old plan again. “Some will call us ‘crazy’.” But they don’t just let themselves be knocked out of the field. Both went to Den Oever and measured the denomination there. “This is four meters wide with double doors. And for safety reasons there are also two extra bulkheads on the side of the village. We received another tip there. There are also denominations in England. These are used during the storm season from November 1 to Closed on March 1. That could also be a solution for Texel. Then you need a staircase. Of course, it does not have to be as wide as it is now.”
“The millions are flying in all directions in the region. Perhaps we can appeal to that”
They also looked at the financing of the project. “We think the Wadden Fund is ideally suited for this,” says Schagen. “The millions are flying in all directions in the region. Perhaps we can appeal to that. That makes it a lot more attractive.”
There has also been talks with the village committee from the village. According to Schagen, they were also enthusiastic. “The ball has started rolling quickly in the last three to four months. We have published an article in the village newspaper. And on April 20, we will have the opportunity to explain this in the meeting of the village committee. We are prepared for anything .”
If the plan is received positively, it is the intention that the village committee will bring the plan to the attention of the municipality.