At the beginning of the local council meeting, the new mayor Nadine Braconnier addressed the fire in the Künzig “Scoutshome”. The fire broke out on the night of Wednesday to Thursday (May 28th). More than 40 firefighters from Käerjeng, Petingen, Kahler and Sassenheim/Differdingen were on duty.
“It was only through the rapid intervention of the rescue services that something worse could be prevented,” emphasized Braconnier. Nevertheless, considerable damage was caused. A large part of the roof was destroyed by the flames, and the extinguishing work also caused significant water damage.
“In its current state, it will be several months before the building can be used again. The Scouts can currently do without it because many of their activities take place outdoors. If a building is still needed, we will find a solution,” explained the mayor.
The Board of Aldermen will present a cost estimate for the repairs to the local council as quickly as possible. Braconnier also confirmed that the criminal police were on site because arson was suspected. The investigation is currently ongoing.
Archaeological finds, further excavations
Braconnier also briefly informed the local council about the project at the former rectory in Hautcharage, where two apartments were originally supposed to be built. As required by law, the National Institute for Archaeological Research conducted archaeological surveys both inside and outside the building. However, significant discoveries were made that required further excavations.
“This threatens to cause significant delays to the project,” explained Braconnier. “Depending on what further discoveries are made, the project could even have to be abandoned entirely. As soon as there is clarity about how to proceed, we will inform the local council again.”
Further information was available on the renovation of the protected houses No. 26 and 28 on rue de l’Eglise in Käerjeng, right next to the cemetery. The community is planning a comprehensive renovation of the two buildings. In the outdoor area, among other things, the existing toilet extension is to be removed. The sanitary facilities are to be relocated near the rectory in the future. It is also planned to make access to the cemetery barrier-free. The municipality estimates costs of around 1.7 million euros for the entire work.
Shared space at the new town hall
The redesign of the outdoor area and the adaptation of the streets around the new town hall are significantly more expensive. A total of 3.1 million euros will be invested in this.
A new lounge area is planned directly in front of the town hall. The adjacent section of rue de l’Eau is also to be converted into a shared space. The decision to designate the street as a dead end in the future sparked discussions. In the future it will no longer be possible to turn from there onto rue de la Résistance. The Board of Aldermen rejected concerns that this could harm residents and create new traffic problems. It is believed that citizens will quickly get used to the new situation. In addition, the municipality is responding to repeated complaints about the high traffic volume in this area.
In the future, a new footpath will lead directly past the town hall and improve the connection for pedestrians through the town center. The path is partially covered by a pergola, which is also intended to provide shade.
There are also 20 parking spaces planned in the immediate vicinity of the town hall. However, around half of this should be reserved for municipal administration vehicles, especially for their mobile services, which travel a lot in cars. The entire area should be designed to be as permeable to water as possible and planted with greenery.
The old music school is scheduled to be demolished between March and May 2027. Work to redesign the area is then scheduled to begin in June 2027 and be completed during 2028.
This is what it will look like around the new town hall in the future Representation: Käerjeng municipality
