The town is building an outdoor skate and sports park on the site next to the Nahbollenbach bike park. The costs for the project, which Mayor Friedrich Marx described in his speech as a "showcase project for all generations", amount to around 1.5 million euros. It is being funded with 268,000 euros from the federal program 'Renovation of municipal facilities in the areas of sport, youth and culture' as well as 110,000 euros from donors and sponsors.
"Good things come to those who wait." Mayor Marx opened his review of the development of this project with this oft-quoted phrase from Ovid. It has its origins in a future workshop held by the city and district youth welfare office in 2018 as part of the youth participation project 'Jump-IO! Among the numerous ideas that the pupils came up with at the time was a city park, intended as a meeting place for young people with sports facilities, a barbecue area and other leisure facilities. The concept received a boost at the beginning of 2019 when it was recognized as one of 36 projects from all over Rhineland-Palatinate as part of the youth engagement competition.
The plans were then fleshed out further by the relevant departments of the city administration in consultation with the young people. "A large part of the administration was involved," explained Mayor Friedrich Marx, as a project like this affects a number of departments. Another future workshop was also held and the idea of integrating the existing skating facility in Weinsau into the city park came up. The site in the Nahetal business park was discussed at an early stage. It is connected to public transport, is on the cycle path and the well-frequented bike park is already in the immediate vicinity.
"Of course, with a project like this, it is important that the municipal bodies are behind it and also provide the necessary funds," emphasized Mayor Marx. However, this was not really a question with the city park, as the project was enthusiastically received and approved by both the specialist committees and the city council. The total costs for the city park now amount to 1,466,099 euros. The city of Idar-Oberstein has received a grant of 268,000 euros from the project sponsor Jülich, which is handling the funding program on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction. Other institutions are also supporting the project. Donations and sponsorship come from the district administrator's donation pot at Kreissparkasse Birkenfeld, from OIE AG, the Bürkle Foundation and Julius Haupt GmbH. "They are supporting the city park with a total of 110,000 euros, for which I would like to express my sincere thanks," said the mayor.
This leaves the city of Idar-Oberstein with an own contribution of just under 1,089,000 euros. "That's a lot of money, but something really good is being created here," emphasized Marx. At the heart of the project is the relocation, renovation and expansion of the skate park previously located in Weinsau. In addition, a beach volleyball court, a small playing field, a covered stage with seating, two storage containers for technical equipment, a self-cleaning toilet container, a small wind turbine and other play equipment will be installed on the site. Access to the Nahe river will also be created via the cycle path. In other words, much more than the original idea of a meeting place for young people.
The civil engineering work, which includes sports and play equipment, the playing fields and the access road to the Nahe, will begin soon. This will be followed by other installations such as the stage, technical equipment, toilet containers and the skating facility. "As we all know, it's difficult to predict the timing of construction work at the moment, so I can't make any predictions as to when the entire facility can be opened for use," explained Mayor Marx. However, this will certainly not be until 2024. "However, it is important that the project is started now, then it will be finished at some point." Marx concluded by thanking everyone involved for their perseverance over the long period of time.
Those involved also include the skater community, which was closely involved in the planning of the specialist office for the skating facility. As their representatives, André Schnadthorst and Johannes Bühner also began by looking back. "It all started with the skate hall in the old hollow barracks, which created a large community of children, teenagers and young adults." The hall was well attended and a number of events were also held there. After a few years, however, the future of the facility was questionable, but donations from local companies made it possible to build a skate park on the sports field of the former Weinsau school. However, the number of visitors and the attractiveness of the facility declined over the years. "But we used to meet up from time to time to skate and relive the old days." As a result, the development of the city park led to consideration being given to relocating the skate park from the Weinsau. After many consultations with the specialist planner and the youth welfare office, this has now come about. "We think that the new city park and the new skate park it contains are a great opportunity for Idar-Oberstein to offer young people from here and abroad something to do." In the best-case scenario, a new cross-generational community will form to spend their free time there.