Changed forecast

“No new senior centers are currently necessary”

The centers are being successively renovated - at Neue Heimat, for example, the roof and shading have been replaced and a new photovoltaic system has also been installed.(Bild: Dostal Harald)

As reported, a recent inspection report on the Linz senior centers (SZL) raised eyebrows. The inspection period covered the years 2019 to 2022, and the inspectors identified an increased need for renovation in most of the centers, especially those that are more than 25 years old.

Although SP city deputy and social affairs officer Karin Hörzing pointed out in an interview with the "Krone" that a lot had happened since the initiative audit at the time, the Freedom Party wants to make the condition of the senior citizens' centers an issue in today's municipal council and is calling for a renovation plan.

"Renovation plan superfluous"
"Demanding a renovation plan now is completely superfluous. Such a plan has been in place for a long time, otherwise the investments we have made in the recent past would not have happened at all," says Hörzing. Since 2021, around 15 million euros have been spent on improving the building fabric and technical equipment, with a further eight million euros to follow by 2026 - to implement measures against increasing heat development, among other things. SZL Managing Director Robert Ritter-Kalisch defines the latter: "This mainly concerns shading measures for glass roofs and glass façades."

Not before 2027/28
In response to the question of whether new homes will be needed in the foreseeable future, the SP social affairs officer says: "The state's needs planning is still pending, but I assume that no new senior centers will be needed until at least 2027/28. And then most likely at Bindermichl or in Oed."