Actually, Construction Minister Hans Reichhart (CSU) came to Kulmbach on Thursday only because of the planned campus. When he drove on a good hour later, he had a whole wish list in his luggage – from the university to the barrier-free accessibility of the train station to the connection to the Greater Nuremberg Transportation Network (VGN).
However, Reichhart will not be in office for too much longer. Because the Minister of Construction and Transport wants to vote in the local elections on 15. March district administrator of Gunzburg to be. That it is "not bad at all when a minister comes who will not be in office for long", stated Lord Mayor Henry Schramm (CSU). Because: "It is easier for him to evaluate certain facts positively this way."
These were the major topics: 1. The development of the freight station site into a university A faculty of the University of Bayreuth is to be established on the former freight station site. 1000 students are to be educated here one day. 16,000 square meters of the site already belong to the city of Kulmbach. 32,000 square meters are owned by Kulmbacher Brewery. According to the mayor, the plans are already so far advanced that "all we have to do now is get together to acquire the land".
And that is what Minister of State Reichhart wants to happen this year. "It is our absolute will to bring this forward."
This still requires a construction expert opinion, which Immobilien Freistaat Bayern (Imbi) is waiting for. It should be available at the end of the first quarter of 2020, explained Deputy Managing Director Karin Hruschka. This will also contain the results of the investigations of contaminated sites and nature conservation. "When we have the expert opinion, we will enter into negotiations with the brewery."
The company is ready for this, as its legal counsel, Katrin Korpus, confirmed. "We are waiting for Imbi to approach us for the final negotiations." The brewery had already signaled willingness to sell.
2. Housing construction – not only for students The future university location is already having an impact: OB Schramm explained that the first students will arrive at the end of 2020 and there are already demands for apartments. Schramm announced that Bayernheim, a housing company founded by the Free State 1.5 years ago, plans to build 60 apartments in Kulmbach. But these should not only be available to students but to the whole population. The city has already found a suitable plot of land.
Construction Minister Reichhart added that housing construction is subsidized, but it is not social housing. 3. The train station The condition of the train station is a perennial issue in Kulmbach. "I know him inside and out from stories", said Reichhart, who, however, did not miss the opportunity to inspect him himself later on. After that, it was clear to him that something must be done. "Kulmbach cannot be a student town with a train station so in need of beautification."
He even had a possible solution with him: "We would like to see the railroad invest more – but this is not the case. The federal government has therefore launched a program for the accessibility of train stations, for which each government district can report two or three locations. And Kulmbach will be there", promised the minister. However, he could not say what will be decided then in Berlin.
Here OB Schramm appealed to CSU Member of Parliament Emmi Zeulner: "Without your support in Berlin, we won’t get it done."
The congresswoman pledged her help and also wants to continue to advocate for rail electrification on the Upper Franconia axis.
4. Noise protection on the Melkendorf bypass and on the federal road near Wirsberg The minister was asked by the mayor of Melkendorf for noise protection measures on the new Melkendorf bypass – as was District Administrator Klaus Peter Sollner () for the complaints about the noise from the federal road in Wirsberg. 5. The accession to the VGN District Administrator Sollner was pleased that there is again movement in the accession to the transport association Greater Nuremberg. The inclusion of the district in the VGN was also seen by Minister Reichhart as desirable. The expansion in two or three years would give the region a further push forward.