Zuidlaren funeral association fears for its survival if the municipality of Tynaarlo sells its accommodation. The sale of the auditorium on Annerweg has been hanging over the market for years, but there is still no clarity.
Reason for the PvdA in the Tynaarlo municipal council to take office. The faction already did this in 2021, when the municipality indicated that it would terminate the lease as of January 1, 2022. In between, the municipality extended the lease contract by one year, because no new purpose was found for the building.
All this time, the funeral association has been living with questions. “Without this auditorium, there is no point in keeping our association going,” says treasurer Adrie Jansen. A shame, he thinks, because with around 2,500 members it can still be said to be a lively club.
“Members pay a kind of contribution, of 22 euros per year,” he outlines. “If you die as a member, you will be laid to rest for free. You can also use the auditorium and the coffee room, and you can get coffee and tea at a reduced rate. This contribution is actually a kind of solidarity levy. Those who have been a member for a longer period of time , pay more over those years, but you get the same in the end.”
Many children from Zuidlaren and surrounding areas still become members before the age of eighteen. “Then you are assuredly insured,” says Jansen. “Membership is free until you are an adult.”
The association is not looking for profit, so there is not much money in the treasury. “We previously offered to take over the building for the symbolic amount of one euro, but there was never a response,” says Jansen.