After a long dispute

Elementary school is finished, now funding is also fixed

The new elementary school in Piberbach was built in one and a half years.(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

Piberbach has been discussing the construction of a new primary school for five years. The last two years in particular have been characterized by a dispute over financing. In order to be able to contribute the 1.2 million euro share, the municipality has to sell land. This caused a lot of controversy. 

It is hard to believe, but completely new primary school locations are a rarity in Upper Austria. In 2010, a new building was erected in Steyr-Resthof. The VS Piberbach followed 14 years later. "A historic moment made possible by population growth," explains Deputy Provincial Governor and Education Officer Christine Haberlander (ÖVP).

This project has accompanied the municipality for five years, with the last two years being particularly intensive and challenging.

Markus Mitterbaur, ÖVP-Bürgermeister

The construction of the "jewel box" ultimately cost around 5.8 million euros. Originally, there was talk of 3.2 million euros before the wave of inflation. 80 percent of the costs were covered by the state. The remaining 1.2 million was contributed by the municipality.

Piberbach Mayor Markus Mitterbaur, Deputy Governor Christine Haberlander, Headmistress Lisa Hosinger and Kematen Mayor Markus Stadlbauer (from left) symbolically opened the new elementary school together with pupils.(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

Among other things, municipal land must be sold to finance the project. "Next Thursday, we will decide on the sale of 13 building plots in the municipal council," says ÖVP mayor Markus Mitterbaur with relief. After all, the SP had long resisted and demanded more information. "Now the mayor has done his homework," says SP municipal chairman Roland Primetzhofer.

Incidentally, the Red Party also abstained from voting on the award of the building contract. The reason: the master builder of the company from Neuhofen/Krems is the Piberbach VP local deputy Manfred Klebinder. He looks back on a turbulent 1.5-year construction period. To ensure that classes could start on time in the modern, almost square building, work continued late into the night the day before school started.