Property unsuitable

Fuss over the construction of the new Forach elementary school in Dornbirn

Dornbirn also has to make savings. Numerous renovations of municipal buildings are on the agenda.(Bild: Rubina Bergauer)

The narrow plot on Forachstrasse in Messestadt is causing the construction costs for the educational facility to skyrocket. Local residents are also unhappy with the choice. 

The seven-storey building is to be built on a narrow strip of land between Dornbirner Karlesgraben and Müllerbach. Two of the floors, namely those housing the gymnasium, are planned underground - and this is precisely what makes the construction of the new Forach elementary school so expensive.

The costs are estimated at around 30 million euros. Quite a hefty sum for the construction of a school and, in the view of the Dornbirn Neos, completely unnecessary. On the one hand, because there would have been options to swap plots of land - but this was unanimously rejected by the city council. Secondly, because there is generally a lot of renovation work to be done in the school sector, but at the same time Dornbirn also needs to make savings. "But instead of dealing responsibly with taxpayers' money, the city government prefers to rely on stubborn ignorance," says pink city representative Martina Hladik angrily.

Residents took the matter to court
The construction of a new school at this location is also a thorn in the side of local residents. A business owner living in the immediate vicinity fears that delivery traffic - the access road runs alongside the school - could lead to dangerous situations. The space is so limited that there are not even any break or parking areas, the neighbors add. They have taken their concerns to the regional administrative court. A ruling is still pending.