Mayor Michael Ritsch
©State Capital Bregenz
Bregenz (BRK) – January 17, 2023 marked the halfway point in Michael Ritsch’s term of office as mayor of the state capital of Bregenz.
The mayor used this occasion to look back on his previous term of office.
“In the past two years we have achieved a lot for and with the people in Bregenz. Our hometown is developing excellently despite difficult global times. This would not be possible without the constructive cooperation with the other groups. Most of the political decisions were taken unanimously. I would like to thank the people of Bregenz for their great trust and loyalty and I am already looking forward to the coming years, in which I will continue to do my best to be a mayor for everyone”, Michael Ritsch looks back and also into the future Future.
In total, the list, which was set in motion by the decisions of the city council or city council, includes around 40 projects. The so-called big chunks include the new construction of the indoor pool with the complete renovation of the lido, which is associated with costs of 72 million euros. In addition, the third expansion stage of the Festspielhaus is currently being implemented. A total of 78.8 million euros is estimated for this construction project. The pipeline has been further expanded and is expected to be fully completed in May 2023.
The course was also set for flood protection. A new flood pumping station was built on the site of the wastewater treatment plant (ARA) and from there a 900 meter long emergency overflow was laid into the lake to relieve the sewage system in an emergency. At the level of the Achsiedlung, five 12 meter deep shafts were drilled and equipped with pumps that lower the groundwater level in the event of a flood and protect the residential buildings from flooding. 1.5 million euros were also spent on digitizing the schools.
Further investments flowed into climate protection, more precisely into the construction of a biomass heating plant and the introduction of the car-free inner city. The award as an e5 municipality was the result of this and other activities such as the climate and energy strategy 2030 and the use of lake water.
The structural changes in the city center around Leutbühel, Rathausstrasse and Anton-Schneider-Strasse have been pushed ahead and will be completed in the spring. A master plan for “Bregenz Mitte”, the area that includes the train station, Seequartier and Seestadt, was drawn up and the hypo-underpass, which will function as an interim stop when a new train station is built, is currently in the conversion phase.
