Price doubling

Questionable cost explosion for kindergarten construction

The costs for the construction of the kindergarten in Tiefgraben rose from 3.2 to 6.5 million euros.

(Bild: Wolfgang Spitzbart)

The doubling of the price for the kindergarten construction in Tiefgraben has now also landed in the state parliament. ÖVP provincial councillor Michaela Langer-Weniger had to answer questions from the Greens. Their MP Dagmar Engl is now criticizing the subsequent funding commitments for the project by the state of Upper Austria.

Instead of 3.2 million euros, the kindergarten construction in Tiefgraben now costs 6.5 million euros. This is fueling discussions both in local politics and in the state parliament. The Greens have submitted a question to Michaela Langer-Weninger (ÖVP), the provincial councillor responsible for municipalities. An explosive detail: the architect of the project is the father of the ÖVP deputy mayor of Tiefgraben.

Costs rising continuously
Green Party Member of Parliament Dagmar Engl summarizes the response: "It shows that the costs for the construction have risen continuously, but the further cost explosion towards the end of the construction has apparently not yet been received by the state with the submission of all documents. The responsible members of the state government would do well to go on the offensive here and demand clarity."

No reclaims
Another striking aspect of the municipal officer's response is that, despite the foreseeable cost overruns and premature start of construction, there were no reclaims by the state, but all projects were still fully funded afterwards "due to the public interest".

Engl finds this strange. There are rules that no money should flow if construction begins before funding is approved. "So why are there guidelines for municipal funding if they are flexible at will?" asks Engl. In the past two years, the state has approved a 20 percent cost overrun for a total of 37 projects.

Correct work by the craftsmen 
In the meantime, however, another question should have been clarified: the role of the craftsmen and the construction company. According to an expert opinion commissioned by the Tiefgraben municipal council and an intensive audit, both are likely to have worked correctly.