The Stanser Eichli is to become an amusement park

The municipal council wants to enrich the Eichli area with a wide range of sports and leisure facilities. The population votes on the 1.1 million loan at the municipal assembly.

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The Eichli is an address for sports enthusiasts. Nine sports clubs (football, handball, wrestling, skateboarding, Frisbee, track and field, SAC, air rifle and tug of war) as well as the vocational students use the municipal sports facility on the premises of the Stans cooperative. However, sports fields 1 and 2 and the Eichlihalle are not open to the public and can only be booked through reservations. Non-organized exercise and sports are left behind. The council wants to change that.

A comprehensive range of sports, exercise and playground facilities with meeting zones are planned on the 23,000 square meters for which the municipality has the right to build. This includes a fixed pump track (circular course with waves and curves for roller sports) on around 1100 square meters, a boulder block (climbing block) made of wood for rope-free climbing training at jump heights from easy to difficult, a mountain bike training facility with steep wall curves, root passages, a rock garden and a parkour facility (urban obstacle course, mainly made of concrete), combined with a street workout facility for individual fitness training. A playground and a new playground for children are also planned. In the Generations Park, young and old can practice coordination and balance. Sufficient seating is planned throughout the park, as well as tables and benches in a certain area.

The trigger for the Eichli Park was an initiative group that presented the idea to the community in autumn 2020. At about the same time, a skate club, supported by the youth work in Stans, presented ideas to the municipal council for improving the skate park. The initiative group also wants to set up a non-profit association that will help coordinate the offer in the planned Eichli Park and also offer courses and events together with institutions such as youth work or senior sports.

If the people of Stans agree to the gross loan of CHF 1.13 million at their municipal meeting on June 1, the Nidwaldner Kantonalbank would contribute CHF 383,760. In addition, the municipal council has submitted requests for further financial contributions to foundations and other organizations. The Eichli Park would be ready next spring after a construction period of around one year.

For everyone’s well-being

“We want to take the opportunity to expand the range of leisure activities on the Eichli site, for the well-being of all age groups,” says Lyn Gyger, the local councilor responsible. She has no concerns about additional noise pollution. “This problem did not arise in comparable meeting zones with a similar offer.”

Another item on the agenda relates to the Eichli area. It’s about the planned training and education hall of BSV Stans. It will be more expensive than originally thought. BSV President Philipp Bühlmann is asking the community assembly with other Stans citizens for a further community contribution of CHF 200,000. As early as spring last year, the municipal assembly approved an investment contribution of half a million Swiss francs. Philipp Bühlmann and the four co-signatories justify their latest application with the extraordinarily high construction costs, especially for wood, steel and thermal insulation, which triggered unforeseeable additional costs of half a million francs. Originally, construction costs of CHF 2.9 million were assumed.

Unexpectedly good accounts

The annual accounts show an operating profit of CHF 3.88 million. That’s CHF 4.6 million better than budgeted. If the municipal assembly agrees to the application to allocate 3.8 million francs to the financial policy reserves, the income statement for the municipality of Stans will close with income of 41.25 million with a profit of around 84,000 francs. Two main reasons for this pleasing result emerge, as the municipal council writes in the message: The municipality benefited from 3.2 million francs higher tax income, particularly in the case of legal entities. Material and operating expenses were around CHF 800,000 lower than budgeted. The gross investments amount to CHF 9.7 million. The per capita debt is 1186 francs.

The annual accounts for the water supply close in the income statement (operating result) with an expense surplus of CHF 257,000.

Stans community meeting: Wednesday, June 1, 7:30 p.m., Turmatt multi-purpose hall, Bluemattstrasse 1, Stans. You will find the message here.