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New toilet facility at the swimming pond: record costs after vandalism!
Donaustadt is investing 545,000 euros in new toilets at the Hirschstetten bathing pond after vandalism to ensure visitor comfort.
New toilet facility at the swimming pond: record costs after vandalism!
The Donaustadt district in Vienna is investing a proud sum of 544,888.97 euros in a new sanitary facility at the Hirschstetten bathing pond. This measure is urgently needed after the vandalism that destroyed the old toilet on New Year's Eve 2023. A firecracker attack caused the metal door of the old facility - which now only exists in memory - to fly more than 25 meters through the air with a bang. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but the numerous visitors to the popular resort had to make do with temporary measures for almost two bathing seasons.
However, the targeted new building investment has not only produced positive reactions. The political debate about the rising construction costs of public projects has flared up. In addition to the impressive sum for the new toilet, the price per square meter is also discussed, which even exceeds that of private luxury properties. District leader Ernst Nevrivy (SPÖ) has defended the costs as being in line with market standards, while municipal department 48 points to the general increase in material and construction costs.
Cost statement
The costs for the new sanitary facility are made up of various individual items that make the project enormously more expensive:
- Sanitärmodule: knapp 196.000 Euro
- Baumeisterarbeiten: über 177.000 Euro
- Dachkonstruktion: rund 47.000 Euro
- Abbruch und Entsorgung der alten Toilette: 35.000 Euro
- Fassadenbegrünung: 1.300 Euro
The new facility is described as contemporary, barrier-free and robust and includes two urinals, a disabled cubicle and a unisex toilet. This infrastructure is absolutely necessary in order to accommodate the high number of visitors to the local recreation area.
Political and public reactions
The high costs of sanitary facilities have caused discussions among Viennese people. A reader expressed incomprehension that the sum for a toilet facility is skyrocketing, while comparable expenses for a single-family home are only small. This mood could put additional political pressure on the city administration in the coming weeks to push ahead with necessary reforms in the procurement system.
The ongoing discussions about challenging financing structures in public infrastructure are not new. International attention is also being drawn to insufficient investment in public infrastructure. Insights from Germany show that this sector is characterized by an overall economic investment rate of just 14%. The challenges that Vienna is also facing are not only the result of increased construction prices, but also a sign of a long overdue need for investment in public infrastructure.
In conclusion, it should be noted that, despite all the questions and discussions that arise, the modern and robust sanitary infrastructure at the Hirschstetten bathing pond is an important step in the right direction. It is hoped that this new facility will meet the needs of visitors and prevent future incidents of this nature.