Is this huge project expected in Yvelines called into question?

The financial difficulties encountered by the Yvelines departmental council affect Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines) at the level of one of its most important projects currently carried out on its territory: Cœur des Sources. Planned over an area of ​​3.15 hectares, it will completely change the face of this sector located to the south of the town.

This operation programmed in several phases should end in 2028. The first, including the creation of a mixed facility combining culture and sport, has been launched.

€2 million straight away, the rest at the end

Cœur des Sources must benefit from subsidies from the Department to the tune of nearly €4 million. The question today is to know when will the money arrive? Only one thing is certain: the €2 million that should have already been paid still does not appear in the City's accounts. The remaining €2 million is promised at the end of the project.

When installing the first stone In December 2024, Pierre Bédier, the president of the Yvelines departmental council, joked about this “original” situation.

“We are in very, very, very great difficulty. This explains the originality, for me, of this moment. Because in fact, I am invited there as a bogus check. »

Following his intervention, the elected official still wanted to be reassuring: “But, I take theengagement that if our return to good fortune occurs in 2027 or 2028, the right to subsidy will continue to be valid. And therefore the closure of the site, and therefore the closure in the City's accounts, will not result in the closure of the right to subsidy. »

As Saint-Germain-en-Laye cannot rely on the sums promised to carry out the first phase of its Cœur des Sources project, it was forced to review its accounts.

Use of borrowing

“What matters most to me is that the project takes place and we can receive the money,” confides Maurice Solignac, the deputy mayor for Finance of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

“If I fall behind in terms of payments, I will regret it, but I will compensate for it by taking out a loan. I think this is how we will find the solution. It is not insurmountable that there are payment delays. »

Another phase of the project affected

But the financial difficulties of the departmental council still raise questions about the future. Indeed, the City requested the institution for another phase of the Cœur des Sources operation providing for the renovation from Marcel-Aymé/Les Sources primary school.

Created in the 1960s, the establishment will be replaced by a school group composed of six kindergarten classes and ten elementary classes. Its opening should take place in 2028.

The City remains optimistic

“For the moment, we do not have a positive response from the Department and we will not have one in 2025,” continues Maurice Solignac. But, it's not too, too serious there either, because the project is rather planned later. »

“I have plenty of time to give, I would say, a year or two years to the Department, to regain better health and give a response which, at that time, would be positive. »

More “modest” operations to finance without the Department?

If the work schedule for large projects should therefore not be impacted, what about more “modest” operations? “We have very small things which will not necessarily be dealt with with the help of the Department, for example restorations of works », Judge Maurice Solignac.

“Will this force us to reduce the plan to 80% or 90%of his wish for execution or are we going to find the few thousand euros that we are missing here and there?, asks the elected official. It's relatively low. »

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