Canton plans new development for 100 asylum-seekers

The Department of Inner Cantonal Affairs (DI) has announced it has awarded the contract to build a three-storey building to accommodate up to 100 asylum-seekers on a site in Baar to the Hotz Obermühle AG company.
 
The work for the building of these 17 identical flats on this site in Obermüll was put out for public tender and the designs by the Hotz Obermühle company duly chosen, actually on land it owns in the municipality.
 
If all goes according to plan, it is hoped the first refugees will be able to move in from autumn of next year. This may seem quite soon but as the flats will be made up of pre-fabricated units, actual construction should take only nine months. The development is expected to remain in operation for ten years, during which time the canton will be paying CHF 380 to the Hotz Obermühle company for each asylum-seeker per month, as is the norm.
 
Some readers may recall that news of this development actually broke out in August, after a person employed in public administration divulged the information, infringing laws pertaining to professional confidentiality, with the council now taking legal action against the offender. It was actually Thomas Aeschi of the SVP party of Baar, and as from last Friday a candidate for a seat on the federal Council in Bern, who, having heard about the plans, subsequently wrote to the Neue Zuger Zeitung outlining his reasons for vehemently opposing the project.
 
At present between 1,200 and 1,500 asylum-seekers are being allocated to the individual cantons by the state, meaning between 60-80 are sent to Zug each month.
 
“The current situation with regard to accommodating asylum-seekers has forced us to look at all possible solutions, not least as all flats currently rented out to the canton for this purpose are occupied,” said Manuela Weichelt-Picard, the head of the DI. She also explained that it was the first time ever that the canton had put the construction of new homes for asylum-seekers out to tender and she initially doubted whether any companies would respond. As it happened, two did; something which surprised her.
 
Current statistics show there are 1,240 asylum-seekers resident in the canton in 73 different locations.