For some time now there is unease about the advancement of the remodelling of the Horst. Noise complaints, bad ventilation, broken heating, too big a distance to the parking lot and a cooling circle that is not working. During an information meeting organized by the Vastgoedgroep two weeks ago, critical questions from employees remained unanswered, to the frustration of those employees.
Ray Klumpert, business engineer of CTW, mapped out the problems. It is clear now that those problems were partly caused by unilateral communication of the Vastgoedgroep and partly by bad maintenance of the Facility Department. Next to that, there are some trivial problems, like the walking distance to the parking lot and the view of the cooling pond and the masses of bicycles parked in front of Horst.
Dean Rikus Eising has heard a lot of complaints since his appointment half a year ago. He believes that some humor is needed, as he quipped, `Sinterklaas handed out umbrellas to the employees the other day,' he tells, `so people can stay dry as they walk back and forth to the parking lot. Who knows what else the Sint has up his sleeve?'
Nevertheless, Eising realizes that humor cannot solve the problem of the broken heating. Ray Klumpert: `That is due to poor maintenance. The capacity of the heating system is not enough if it's well below freezing and the maintenance is held up by the Facility Department.' Dean Eising completed that statement by pointing out that there are ongoing talks with the new interim-director of the Facility Department, Leo Frijters. `He sees there needs to be some change in the maintenance group and has promised to improve this.'
The communication with the Vastgoedgroep remains difficult, admit Klumpert and Eising. Executive Board member Kees van Ast should play a role in this, they think. Eising: `More regularly scheduled informational meetings with the Vastgoedgroep will also help. And those should be meetings in which the Vastgoedgroep is open to criticism.'
While Eising claimed that all issues can be resolved, the residents of Horst remain skeptical as they await tangible results.
Trans. H. van Dorp
