American settlement New evaluation of former Montessori building ordered
Bad Godesberg · A decision on whether or not to tear down the former international Montessori kindergarten should come in September. American settlement grounds remain in discussion.
Is the historically protected Montessori kindergarten building in the American settlement salvageable? An evaluation of the building has been ordered and should be available by the end of September. It is in urgent need of renovation but the question is whether the condition of the facility can be improved enough through renovations or if it should be torn down altogether. Historical preservation authority Franz-Josef Talbot told district representatives in a meeting Wednesday evening that the city gave notice to Vebowag, as owner of the property that it must carry out the evaluation. The City of Bonn is the principal shareholder in Vebowag.
At the end of 2015, Vebowag had ordered the building to be torn down after presenting an evaluation documenting the rundown condition of the property. Talbot, however said that his people had not seen any grave defects at first glance. Because of that, they ordered a second, independent evaluation which would take into consideration the possibility of renovations.
On the basis of the new evaluation, a decision would be made on whether to renovate or demolish the building. Representative Ulli Hauschild (FDP) expressed strong disappointment that the historically protected building was allowed to sit and deteriorate and he called for local politicians to take a close look at the situation. Ralf Jochen Ehresmann (Left party), said if this all leads to a costly renovation, it should be Vebowag who has to pay for it.
Another controversial topic is upkeep of the green areas throughout the American settlement. They are also under historical preservation orders. Lutz Beine (SPD) said, “It’s sad that after a year, there has to be another citizen’s petition and that nothing has happened.” His criticism was also aimed at Vebowag. There had been an initiative by the group, “Rettet die Amerikanische Siedlung” (Save the American settlement) already last year. Chair Rolf Fischer commented, “Once again, a tree was cut down without proper permission.” According to Talbot, there will be a meeting next week with the landscape and gardening firm hired by Vebowag. It was requested that members of the initiative be included in the meeting.
(Orig. text: es/jab)
