Not used since 2020 Demolition of dilapidated gymnasium costs city of Bonn 660,000 Euro
Plittersdorf · Pupils and athletes have not been able to use the sports hall of a Bonn school for almost three years. The Plittersdorf table tennis club is also affected. They are happy that something is happening, but they still see a problem.
Christian Großheim has been around a lot in Bad Godesberg, but not necessarily voluntarily. He is the chairman of the Plittersdorf Table Tennis Club (TTC) and used to train with the club in the small hall of the Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium until it had to be closed. Now the demolition of the smaller of the two gymnasiums belonging to the school has begun, the city administration announced. For almost three years, the grammar school and the sports clubs that train there have had to manage without it.
In the summer of 2020, cracks and spalling were discovered in the concrete parts of the gymnasium, whereupon the municipal building management commissioned a structural engineer to inspect the building. Since he could not rule out a risk to the users, the hall and the gymnastics hall were closed as a precaution.
For the TTC Plittersdorf, this meant another move, as the city had made the hall of the Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium available to the club as a substitute. Originally, the club had trained in the Gotenschule, but its hall also had to be closed by the city because it was dilapidated. Now the club is switching to the gym of the GGS Andreasschule and the Abendgymnasium. "The city has always been quick to help," says Großheim.
Investigation shows: Hall is in danger of collapsing
Nevertheless, there is one problem, he finds. "It took a long time for the city to decide to demolish the hall." The clubs in the district are thus missing a hall, even if the one at the Gotenschule is completed in spring 2024 as planned. The TTC, for example, had grown during the pandemic and other clubs were also in need. Großheim assumes that the times in the new hall will be in great demand.
During further static investigations, the city had examined the existing concrete construction of the gymnasium: It turned out that parts of the roof structure had broken off. It could not be ruled out that the load-bearing structure would fail and that the ceiling of the hall would collapse, according to the city. Therefore, it was decided to demolish the gymnasium at short notice. According to the administration, the demolition and deconstruction work will last until mid-June 2023. The city assumes that the gross costs will amount to approximately 660,000 Euro.
According to the city, the remaining buildings of the grammar school have been secured. The area to be secured has been demarcated with construction fences. In this way, the city has ensured that classes can continue at the school. Following the demolition, construction work will begin on the modernisation and expansion of the ground floor wing of the Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium, which is necessary due to the changeover from G8 to G9. The press office did not answer a question from the GA about when there will be a replacement for the gymnasium and whether the extension of the school will be delayed and made more expensive as a result.
Großheim, meanwhile, hopes that the Gotenschule hall will actually be ready by the beginning of 2024 and that the odyssey of his club will then finally come to an end.
(Original text: Dennis Scherer / Translation: Mareike Graepel)
