Complaints to the City of Aachen about unpleasant odors at the container facility on the site of the former Barbarastraße elementary school, where the municipal Montessori elementary school in Eilendorf is currently partially housed, led to an immediate investigation of the containers. The landlord - and therefore the owner of the facility - was asked to clarify the causes as quickly as possible. At the same time, the municipal building management, together with the health department of the StädteRegion Aachen, also noticed odors during a site visit and commissioned an independent expert office to take measurements. The initial results of these investigations prompted the city to take the facility out of use immediately as a precautionary measure.

During the subsequent opening of the components, mold contamination was found under the surfaces in some cases. These affected components are now being completely replaced as part of a renovation project. The cause is presumably water damage caused by one of the heavy rainfall events in recent weeks. The work has the highest priority in order to bring the situation to a good end as quickly as possible and thus minimize the impact on everyone involved. The expected completion of the renovation work is scheduled for the 2024 fall break.

Intensive planning makes a temporary solution possible
During the renovation of the school building in Kaiserstrasse, the Montessori elementary school in Eilendorf is housed in the building of the former Barbarastrasse elementary school in Rothe Erde and a container facility in the schoolyard. For the period until the fall vacations, this means that the school will have to move closer together in its temporary quarters. Five classrooms and the lunchtime supervision must also be accommodated in the main building of the former school. Two classrooms can be accommodated in the two rooms of the open all-day school (OGS) in the mornings. These can then be used by the OGS in the afternoon. Another classroom will be relocated to the smaller OGS dining room. This room can also be used by the OGS in the afternoon. The fourth classroom will be located in the current staff room. The last of the five classrooms will be accommodated in a former classroom that is currently divided by a partition wall. The two separate rooms will be reconnected by breaking through a wall. In addition, a cooperation with the neighboring Catholic Open Door is being sought for the OGS care.

Thanks to the measures described above, which were developed in close and very constructive cooperation with the school management, teaching and OGS supervision can be ensured despite the short-term and temporary loss of the container facility, even if this means immense challenges for school operations in every respect. After the 2024 fall vacations, the school should be able to resume operations in the main building and the container facility as usual.

"We are aware that we are asking pupils, parents, staff and OGS employees to be flexible, improvise and accept restrictions," says Heinrich Brötz, Aachen City Councilor for Education, Youth and Culture, regretting the situation. The head of department continues: "At the same time, we hope for understanding that there is no alternative to the temporary measures taken for the benefit of the children and staff."