In St. Margarethen:

New list launched: also concerned about water reserves

Barbara Lanschützer from the new list at the hotel construction site.(Bild: Holitzky Roland)

In St. Margarethen in Lungau, municipal politics started with ÖVP local leader Johann Lüftenegger and the new, strong list: The hotel construction site is still at a standstill, a well project is planned. 

Many people in the village have woken up to us," says Barbara Lanschützer from the new "List for St. Margarethen", which advocates a new kind of politics and wants to guarantee maximum transparency. "We work across party lines," she emphasizes. Especially in small communities like the village of 750 souls, lists that incorporate the knowledge of citizens more comprehensively are booming.

List started with hotel protest
There are 18 names on the new list. The members come from different professions - from the software industry to car mechanics or her as a retired teacher.

The group first formed against a planned hotel project with almost 500 beds. "Everything is still at a standstill," says Lanschützer, looking at the construction fence. Last fall, earth had already been pushed out. Now nobody in the village knows when and how things will continue. An investor and operator are reportedly missing.

Lanschützer is pleased about an interim success: "At least we were able to prevent the project from being doubled in size. The infrastructure would not have been able to cope with that." In working groups, the new list now wants to address issues such as childcare and the lack of jobs in commuter communities. Local leader Johann Lüftenegger (ÖVP) confirms the constructive cooperation: "After the election, everyone will focus on substantive issues."

Water reserves under scrutiny for the future
At the top of the agenda of the first municipal meeting was the topic of water: with a daily consumption of 280 cubic meters of water, St. Margarethen still has enough reserves. However, no more wells can be tapped in the future. For this reason, groundwater is to be drilled this year. Lanschützer: "Another argument against a major tourism project."