New St. Amandus daycare center inaugurated in Konz-Könen
Konz, October 16th
Since the summer, all of the new premises of the St. Amandus daycare center in Konz-Könen have been completely finished. They now offer space for seven daycare groups, two more than before. In order to meet the requirements of full-day care, there are just over 1000 Square meters, in addition to the care rooms, there is also a bistro, staff rooms, a super-modern kitchen, rest and support rooms as well as several sanitary areas.
"When I look around here, I am sure that the children feel completely at home here," said the first deputy mayor of the Konz municipality, Guido Wacht, at the inauguration ceremony that took place this week. "Here they find plenty of space to play and move around. They can be creative and develop."
Photo: Representatives of the VG and the city of Konz as well as the district of Trier-Saarburg, the Katholische KiTa gGmbH Trier and the parents in front of the new building of the Kita St. Amandus.
In his speech, the councilor also thanked the daycare center's employees and the children for their patience and flexibility during the construction work while the center was still in operation. "This was certainly a challenge for everyone involved - the Katholische KiTa gGmbH Trier, the children, parents and our administrative staff who supported the project."
Wacht also emphasized the importance of expanding daycare centers in Konz. "Family friendliness cannot just be a phrase. It must be promoted and lived, because it is an important location factor for a municipality. By creating an attractive childcare offer for parents, we ensure that the city of Konz is attractive for citizens. This in turn makes working here interesting and thus secures jobs."
"This opening marks the end of a long and challenging journey," explained Martin Roß, general manager of Katholische KiTa gGmbH Trier. "With the construction of the St. Amandus daycare center, a place has been created where children are optimally supported and our dedicated team finds an inspiring and modern working environment. Despite all adversities, we have seen how strong the cohesion in our community is. The successful cooperation of everyone involved in this project shows how we can work together to create future-oriented solutions for families. We are particularly proud of this."
Of course, the children themselves also contributed to the celebration. After the welcoming words from the deputy mayor and the operating company, they helped chaplain Father Antony Mathew MSJ to bless the rooms and showed the guests around the premises.
Construction work for the expansion and modernization of the daycare center began in 2020 and was carried out in two construction phases. In the first step, more space was created by adding a new building to the existing daycare center. After crisis-related delays, this new building was used by the children from April 2023. In the second construction phase, the existing daycare center building was restored to its original state.
The building was returned to its original state and a part of the building was created using modern building materials that resembled a new building. This part of the building was completed this summer. The children were able to move in at the beginning of the new daycare year in 2024.
The cost of the construction project was around 4.5 million euros. It was supported with funding from the Trier-Saarburg district, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the Diocese of Trier.
During the celebrations, a project by Mobile Youth Work (Junetko) took place in front of the daycare center. The previously gray wall in front of the building became colorful! With financial support from the Partnership for Democracy, the young people sprayed graffiti on topics such as integration, tolerance and diversity.
Here are impressions from the daycare center and the youth project:
