Dear residents and interested parties,
Herewith an additional August newsletter with the following topics:
- Events: Inkom Preuvenemint and Festival Maas
- This week’s Inkom takes place from 21 to 25 August.
- Preuvenemint – From this Thursday 24 August until Sunday 27 August, the annual cultural food festival will again take place on the Vrijthof Square. More information about the Preuvenemint can be found on their website (only in Dutch).
- Festival Maas – This event will take place from 6 to 10 September. This year, it will be a smaller, more compact, and well-organised event offering visitors a broad cultural experience. More information can be found on their flyer announcement.
- Current situation of Public Transport
In early July, we finally received a response from the Province of Limburg regarding our letter of 20 April. Due to an internal communication problem, the letter did not reach the right person until later. On 17 July, a meeting took place with two provincial officials, Mr Ravesteijn and Mr Dieteren, and a representative of Arriva, Mr Jongen.
We presented the concerns and potential improvements, which can be viewed in this presentation. No commitment was made to implement potential improvements for public transport in the Jekerkwartier and the southern part of the city centre soon. The decline in public transport quality is primarily attributed to a 20% decrease in passengers following the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, there is a persistent shortage of staff, a challenge faced nationwide. Consequently, financial resources are limited, making it difficult to establish an improved schedule for 2024. For the time being, we will have to hold off on immediate actions. A new government’s goal should be to stimulate public transport, although this is unlikely to influence the schedule before 2025 due to the elections.
- No Nazomertafel (After Summer table)
Regrettably, the Nazomertafel scheduled for Wednesday, September 20th, at the Lutheran Church cannot proceed. This is owing to the limited scope for serving light alcoholic beverages within the Lutherse Kerk, as stipulated by the horeca manager of the Maastricht municipality (Horecawet, article 35) for this year.
Despite having made reservations well in advance, we are unable to serve alcohol on that day. At present, we are actively working on arranging an alternative event in December, coinciding with Magisch Maastricht. We will ensure to keep you informed about further developments.
- Neighbourhood participation meeting
Another neighbourhood participation meeting will take place for residents of the city centre on September 27th. The exact venue will be communicated later. Should you wish to attend, kindly register using this link. An agenda will be distributed in advance to those who have registered.
- Centre Survey
As previously announced, a survey will be conducted during the autumn, this time focusing on the entire centre. Currently, there is insufficient information available to provide you with detailed information. Rest assured, as soon as this information becomes available, you will receive a notification.
- Topor Tongersestraat Mural Restoration
The iconic mural, inspired by the artistry of Roland Topor on Tongersestraat (corner of Kakeberg), will undergo restoration from Monday, September 11th, to Friday, October 6th, by the original artists. Collaborating with the municipal art restoration partner, Kunstwacht, scaffolding will be erected and Kunstwacht will diligently oversee the entire process.
The artwork is aptly titled “Vigilance for Human Rights Violations.” The design was crafted by Roland Topor and executed by Annehilde Bruining, Arjan van Dam, and John Prop. The mural came to life in December 1988.
The painting is undergoing a comprehensive restoration and will thus be prepared for the commemoration of the Year of Human Rights later this calendar year.
Thank you for your attention and we look forward to keeping you updated again on the latest developments in our neighbourhood.
Kind regards,
The board of the City Centre Neighbourhood Network.
Bér Prevot
Khanny Boy
Jesse Léger
Marco Maessen