Funeral and ice skating: winners of the CoV crisis
politics
With the lockdowns, most public companies in the city of Salzburg have lost many customers and thus jobs – from the outdoor pools to the sports halls to waste disposal. The big minus dominates in almost all balance sheets. The two most important exceptions were the burial of the dead and the ice rink in the Volksgarten. Business was good here.
The ice rink is considered one of the winners for a long time – which is why the responsible SPÖ vice mayor also presented the Corona balance sheet of the municipal companies here. The key to success is the so-called “Ice Magic” – an open-air ice rink on the grounds of the Volksgartenbad with around 60,000 visitors a year.
Up to 60 percent less for bathrooms
The municipal baths have suffered particularly from the lockdowns. Visitor limits and strict rules for clubs and schools had consequences. The number of visitors has fallen sharply everywhere – in some cases by around 75 percent. Like the picture at the municipal sports halls. Here the decline is between 50 and 60 percent.
There has also been a minus – surprising for many – in waste collection, despite the new masses of packaging, mask and vaccination waste, as municipal waste manager Jürgen-Wulf Gegenbaur explains: “When restaurants, hotels and bars are closed, a lot falls a bio waste away. The population cannot catch up on their own.”
Auinger: “The funeral is back in the black”
The financial balance of the municipal companies is still positive, despite the sometimes considerable losses, says Deputy Mayor and sports consultant Bernhard Auinger (SPÖ): “We were in the budget, have already budgeted because of Corona. But we even exceeded the budget in the ice arena. In September we were already where we were supposed to be by the end of the year. We’re back in the black in municipal burial – and that has nothing to do with the pandemic. The companies have also been very successful with this young team. And I am convinced that when the pandemic is over, we will again generate a lot of income for the budget.
A lot of money needed for a new recycling center
The municipal companies will also urgently need this income. Among other things, the planned conversion of the municipal recycling center is on the agenda today. According to city policy, this area alone should devour around five million euros.