In Wiesbaden's Westend, daycare and crèche places are in great demand. Building a new daycare center on Hellmundstrasse would therefore actually be ideal. But the project is causing heated discussions in the state capital. This is due to an unusual contract design, which has raised the alarm bells among politicians after numerous felt and corruption scandals. The joint city hall faction of the Wiesbaden Citizens' List, the Alliance for Innovation and Justice and the Independent List fears that tax money will be used to provide advantages for private owners. The area in question belongs to Roland Stöcklin, the managing director of the municipal subsidiary SEG and his wife Sabine Hohenner. Social Affairs Director Christoph Manjura (SPD) has signed the corresponding municipal submission,but is already working on solutions, because the dispute threatens to escalate.

It's about a new kindergarten in a backyard of Hellmundstrasse, the construction of which the Wiesbaden city council decided in June 2019. Originally, the non-profit Fröbel Education and Upbringing GmbH from Berlin would have taken over the sponsorship. The owners and the daycare center leased to the operator. According to the municipal submission, however, the project could "not be implemented because of the guarantees required by the financing credit institutions". When asked, Manjura specified that the city had refused to provide a guarantee.

Now the city is planning to build, pay for and operate the daycare center itself with five groups on the Stöcklin and Hohenner property.

The demolition and new construction of buildings are estimated at around 4.2 million euros.

In addition, there are a further 300,000 euros in planning and plausibility costs.

The city also rents the building for a period of 30 years and pays the owners € 7027 monthly rent and € 1481 for ancillary costs.

From January of this year, the city will also pay a so-called reservation fee of 8500 euros per month to the owners in return for their lost rental income.

City bears all costs and risks

This grant agreement is to end when the city council decides to build a daycare center, but no later than the end of the year. After 30 years, the property will become the property of the property owner - or a new lease will be signed. "Here the city takes over a demolition plot in the backyard, takes over the work of an investor there, only to hand it back to the owner Ms. Hohenner after 30 years," complained the leader of the citizens' lists, Renate Kienast-Dittrich. She complained that the city bears all the costs and risks. It is difficult to explain to the citizen how this decision came about. Kienast-Dittrich criticizes that “tax money is seen as a self-service shop”. She asks why the city didn't buy the property.

The answer is simple: the owners refused to sell the site to the city. “We didn't buy the property only to sell it quickly. It is a third generation family property, ”said Stöcklin. The property with its buildings previously belonged to his father-in-law.

The SEG managing director sounds relaxed when he talks about the project. According to him, it failed in 2019 because the city did not want to give the banks a deficiency guarantee for the rent payments from the non-profit operator Froebel: "We then canceled the project in December 2019." It was the city that then approached him, to build a day care center after all. When the decision was made that the city would build and act as the operator, he only rented the seven apartments temporarily and, at the request of the city, has left them completely empty since January of this year. Therefore, it is only correct that the city should pay the loss of rent.

He also does not accept the accusation that the building will fall to the owners after 30 years.

“What should we do after 30 years with a cube that housed a daycare center if the city does not extend the lease?” Asks Stöcklin and is convinced that the city will then negotiate considerably more favorable terms due to its very good position can.

State of uncertainty should come to an end

“I no longer believe in a political majority for the project. It's too complicated, you can hardly explain it, ”said Stöcklin. "But the state of uncertainty must come to an end." The SEG managing director pointed out that he could achieve the same level of income by renting the seven apartments. Today, so he reveals in conversation, he would no longer initiate such a project, the hostility is too intense. Family members were even approached in private. "There is no more presumption of innocence, everyone thinks we want to fill our pockets," he said in conclusion.

If the project fails, Manjura's problems will not be resolved.

In the densely built-up Westend, the supply of crèche places is only guaranteed to 7.8 percent, while the urban average is 37.8 percent.

Among the three to six year olds it is 41.4 percent and the urban average 86.4 percent.

According to Manjura, there is a shortage of around 600 childcare places.

But now there are reportedly two other locations in the immediate vicinity.

On Wednesday, the head of social affairs will present the Hellmundstrasse day-care project to the Westend local advisory board in an informational meeting.

“If the concept is rejected there, I will withdraw the proposal.

I'm not going to run my head against the wall, ”Manjura announced.