Goes Council backs move of Scalda Groen College to Omnium

Board members were happy to be relieved of the Omnium’s rainforest, which had been a financial burden for years. The council also approved the construction of two additional classrooms at IKC Kloetinge.

At the end of 2019, a report by the Berenschot design office put an end to Goes’ tropical dream: the construction of the Omnium sports and leisure center with a gym, a running river and a tropical forest was not based on a well-thought-out policy by the municipality. For years, the number of visitors has been below expectations, at only 10% of forecasts. The municipality of Goes had to pay more than 2 million euros.

As the owner of the Omnium, Goes is very pleased that Scalda has recently shown interest in creating Green College in the Omnium. But for this to be possible, the town hall first had to provide a preparatory loan of 506,000 euros. The whole board agreed.

Nevertheless, the SGP/ChristenUnie pleaded for increased caution through an amendment. Making preparatory credit available now is fine, but before further action is taken, the executive board still needs to report to the board around April 1 next year. There was a majority for this amendment, after which the board unanimously adopted the amended proposal on the future of the Open.

The council also agreed on the expansion of IKC Kloetinge with two classrooms. The coalition parties PvdA/GroenLinks, SGP/ChristenUnie, Party for Goes and Nieuw Goes were in favor of permanent premises. The opposition of the D66, the CDA and the VVD estimated that 1.08 million euros for two classrooms was far too much, especially since according to these parties it is not at all certain that the number of students will grow in the years to come.

According to André van der Reest, alderman for education, there is a permanent need for classrooms. “As of October 1 this year, IKC had 208 students. We expect a peak of 271 students in 2030, after which it drops slightly and remains stable around 260. This means that there is a need for the two new classrooms for at least the next 15 years, so its construction is more than justified.

This is a message from Streekomroep De Bevelanden.