Rensenpark in Emmen will get a major renovation next year. At least, that’s what the mayor and aldermen would like to see happen.
This is one of the municipality’s wishes in its list of plans for the coming year. The council requests the municipal council to disburse sums of money for maintenance.
Last year, Emmen City Council developed a new future vision for the former Noorder Dierenpark. This vision for the future costs approximately 9 million euros. These funds can be used over the years to maintain and develop certain parts of the central park. A spokesperson for the municipality of Emmen said: “We will use these funds to improve the park, the buildings and the public space. In a way that the investment contributes to the unique character of the park in the centre.”
Next year, B&W is proposing the city council take a small portion of the $9 million budget and invest it in “park remediation.” “We want to renovate the park with these funds. We will use it, among other things, to restore walking paths. We also want to see if we can make the buildings more sustainable. All with the aim of organizing them in such a way. In a way that provides more opportunities for recreational use,” says the spokesman. .
Emmen considers Rensenpark “a private park suitable for community gatherings”. That is why the municipality hopes to make the park more attractive for recreation through investment. The park was supposed to get a recreational boost next year with the creation of a climbing park from operator Fun Forest, but those plans were withdrawn in mid-April. “We are very sorry that the initiator has postponed these plans for the time being, but we will now look at something else that enhances the character of the park.”
The spokesman said that the withdrawal of the initiator of the climbing park does not mean that the municipality will sit and relax. The proposed maintenance investment could attract other planners to the park.
The municipality of Emmen expects energy costs in Rensenpark to rise in the future. The municipal plan states that B&W expects to spend an additional €70,000 on electricity costs from 2025. From 2026, an additional €80,000 is expected to be added annually to cover gas costs. This brings the total increase in annual energy costs from 2026 to €150,000 per year.
On June 27, Emmen City Council will discuss the proposed financial plans during a council meeting. It will also become clear then whether the council approves the renovation of Rensenpark.