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A barn for €7.85 million

At the municipal council meeting of May 25, 2024, the board of aldermen submitted a sales agreement to the council for the purchase of the barn (d’Scheier) in Aspelt, located opposite the castle, for €7.85 million.

When asked what would be done with the property, the board could only give vague indications at the time. The restaurant was supposed to be rented out and used, for example, for the pensioners’ celebration. The house, currently still rented, is supposed to be converted into social housing at some later date. The board also did not know the exact condition of the buildings, the running costs, or how much money would still need to be invested in the future.

The purchase of the property, which was not part of the coalition agreement, had to be entirely financed through a loan.

The CSV is not fundamentally opposed to the purchase of such a property—if the funds are available. Had the commune had the necessary money set aside, such a project could have been undertaken. But as it stands, a loan will have to be repaid over 30 years, which will reduce funding options for future projects. In addition, it’s essentially a case of buying a cat in a bag, without knowing how much more will have to be invested later on.

For these reasons, the CSV voted against the purchase of the “Scheier” in Aspelt. With that money, other more useful and necessary projects could have been financed—such as affordable housing, energy renovation of existing buildings, or infrastructure for assisted living for our senior residents in the commune.

The final deed of sale and the additional vote on a €16.5 million loan—intended among other things to finance this transaction—were then presented for a vote at the municipal council meeting of June 26, 2024. Here too, the CSV voted against both the deed and the loan for the reasons outlined above.

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