Thankfully, the mood in the Haiminger municipal council is not a school example of local politics. Mayor Michaela Ofner leads a minority government, so to speak, and there is a lot of arguing. In the current "school example", the opinions of the two-tier society diverge once again: the primary school building including kindergarten on Haimingerberg is getting on in years. It is undisputed that something needs to be done structurally.

The architectural competition for the state's village renewal program clearly called for a new building, while renovation was strongly discouraged. According to the winning project, an investment of 6.3 million euros was necessary.

New expert reports confirm good building fabric
"The mayor was even on the jury," says opposition deputy mayor Christian Köfler, "suddenly there was a change of opinion." This refers to Ofner's current goal of pushing ahead with a €1.2 million renovation instead of burdening the municipal purse with a reported €6 million. Although the new building has already been approved twice by the municipal council, the head of the village is doing everything she can to push through the renovation after all. In doing so, she is relying on two new, privately initiated reports from the provincial labor inspectorate and a court-certified expert.

"Both reports confirm that the building fabric is in good condition and that no major structural challenges are to be expected," says Ofner, "a loan for a new building would place an additional burden on the municipal budget for years to come and would block urgently needed investments in other educational facilities in the municipality of Haiming."

Majority opposition will not close its mind
The issue currently affects 22 schoolchildren and 22 kindergarten children. The adaptation of the two rental apartments on the upper floor will significantly increase the number of places available. "The Education Directorate for Tyrol has already approved this conversion," reports Dorfprima. The majority opposition will not turn its back on the plans, according to a source. "If a modern solution with sufficient space is possible, we will of course take a look at it," says Deputy Minister Köfler.