At the community center

St. Georgen: Now the citizens have their say

The former bank branch is to become a community center.(Bild: SPÖ Eisenstadt)

Contrary to the ÖVP concept, the SPÖ, FPÖ and Greens want to consult the population on how the planned community center in St. Georgen should be implemented and used.

The SPÖ submitted the motion for a public consultation in St. Georgen to the Eisenstadt municipal council meeting this week. "According to the ÖVP's previous statements, the center should only be available to clubs," explains Christoph Fertl, SPÖ Club Chairman for Freistadt.

Voted in favor of consultation
In view of the renovation costs of 600,000 euros, the SPÖ is of the opinion that the building should be accessible to all residents of St. Georgen. They criticized the fact that there had been no usage concept for three years and that it was not clear how the planned community center could generate income. The SPÖ, Greens and FPÖ voted unanimously in favor of a public consultation. However, the ÖVP majority in the municipal council rejected the motion.

"Center for all"
"The building was acquired at the beginning of 2021. Considerations and planning have been ongoing since then. The fact is, it is to become a communication center for everyone, young people, senior citizens and clubs," says the municipal council. The final plans were presented to the public back in April 2023.

Launch in January 2025
"There were no objections from the SPÖ at the time. This was followed by the invitation to tender and further preparations. The contracts were awarded this September with the approval of the Greens," the ÖVP announced. According to the municipal council, the ground-breaking ceremony will take place on 19 December: "The SPÖ has always supported the project so far, but shortly before the election everything is different again." On 7 January 2025, the SPÖ wants to launch the public consultation: "Direct democracy is important to us."