Ground-breaking ceremony for new Ökihof in Göbli

After the voters voted in favour of the property loan at the ballot box last autumn, the ground-breaking ceremony took place for the new Ökihof in Zug.

Eliane Birchmeier, head of the City of Zug Building Department, symbolically pushed a spade into the ground on a still undeveloped meadow. The new Ökihof (recycling centre) is to be created here, on the periphery of the city of Zug, in the Göbli district. She kept her speech short, focusing on the essentials; above all, the joy of finally being able to push ahead with the construction. She says: "Today’s ground-breaking ceremony has been preceded by many years of planning. We can now take another important step."

The ground-breaking ceremony for the start of construction of the new Ökihof in Göbli on the Industriestrasse.
Pictured from left: Christine Langhans (Head of the Brockenhaus), Heidi Hauenstein (President of the Women's Centre), Peter Hebeisen (President GGZ), Sergio Minelli (Construction Manager Saredi AG), Paul Knüsel (Head of Building), Maria Hügin Birrer (Managing Director GGZ), Eliane Birchmeier (City Councillor) and Jascha Hager (City Engineer).
Photo: Stefan Kaiser (Zug, 9 March 2021)

Last autumn, voters were clearly in favour of the property loan: just over 88% of the voters said yes. The building will cost a total of CHF 20.9 million, of which CHF 13.3 million will be invested in the part of the building which will be rented by the Women's Centre (Frauenzentrale) and GGZ@Work. The recycling centre itself will cost CHF 7.6 million.

The schedule for the project is tight. The Ökihof is expected to be in operation in just under two years– by the end of 2022. The handover to those responsible should be possible as early as the middle of next year, according to Paul Knüsel, Head of Building Construction for the City of Zug. Eliane Birchmeier is confident that she will be able to meet this goal. "Assuming, of course, that there a no more surprises," she says, with a  smile.