Local News
You’ve Got Mail … Until October BY: GSTAADLIFE
Downsizing strikes again at the postal service. Following in the footsteps of villages Feutersoey, Lauenen and Saanenmöser, the post office in Gsteig will cease operations this October. “We weren’t exactly surprised when we heard the news for the first time in March,” says Gemeindeschreiber (town clerk) Paul Reichenbach. “After all the post office closings, we knew a similar fate could befall Gsteig-bei-Gstaad.” Replacing the full-service post office will be a manned postal window located in Peter Beetschen’s Cheslade, a small shop nearby, where basic services such as bill-paying and mailing letters and packages will be available. Cheslade also offers food staples and
hygiene products, saving residents the trip down to a larger grocery store in Gstaad.
What Goes Up Must Come Down BY: GSTAADLIFE
Despite a slowdown in business, Gsteig had a better chance than most villages of retaining a post office due to its somewhat larger population and mountain pass locale. That said, the slim margins typical of post offices could not bear the increased competition (mostly in the parcel delivery sector) and rising operational costs. Changes in the way people communicate have figured in the downturn. Thanks to the Swiss Post’s popular internet portal, many customers pay bills can online. Once ubiquitous pay phones have been nearly wiped out due to cell phone use. Further, rather than sending handwritten cards or letters, many Swiss now choose to send text messages or emails.
Too many installations, too few passengers: the company responsible for the local mountain railways, Bergbahnen Destination Gstaad, has severe structural problems. At the information meeting held several weeks ago in mid-June one thing was made very clear – without a solution, the mountain railways will suffer a tremendous blow to their operations. An expert group has been formed to investigate the problem and provide options for remedying the situation. The group has until April 2014 to develop a plan, at which point the board will vote on a clear path to sustained development.
Saanen Breaks Ground on New Water Works Construction has begun on Saanen’s new 4.5 million-franc reservoir, which will provide the region with more than 2000 cubic metres of water capacity. The reservoir, which will be built just below the Steigenberger Hotel, should be in operation by November 2014. Priming the pump for a new generation The new reservoir will replace the existing 1902 reservoir, which despite a 1940 upgrade was still deemed too old and out-of-date to repair. What’s more, the reservoir’s volume
capacity of 480 cubic metres was declared insufficient by the Wasserversorgungsplanung, General Water Supply Planning Group. The reservoir’s 1969 pumping station is also in need of renovation. Today’s requirements are simply too demanding for the station, whose future increased pumping power will slowly be integrated into the new reservoir system. Fighting fire with water At four times the current capacity, the new reservoir will also accommodate a growing Photo: Franziska Raaflaub
BY: GSTAADLIFE
need for fire reserves. Only 240 cubic metres of water are currently held in reserve, an amount compliant with the Office of Water and Waste Management’s requirements but short of the 500-cubic-metre reserve required by Canton Bern. The General Water Supply Planning Group also had to take into account the supply zone and existing water pipelines. The new reservoir must provide fire hydrants with sufficient pressure, a challenge for those at high altitudes. This figured in the decision to build the reservoir on the 1094-metre-high-Pfyffenegg plot, where meeting the challenge would prove an easier task. As the Saanenland grows and prospers in the coming years, the new reservoir will play a key role in maintaining a healthy balance between water consumption and water supply. Getting Thirsty in Saanenland The average water consumption in the municipality of Saanen varies wildly according to the season due to the flux in population. Winter and summer see 25000 residents – as opposed to only 7500 in mid-season. There is a relatively high average consumption of 400 litres per person daily, compared to the Swiss average of only 120 litres per person. The annual production of potable water in Saanen is approximately 3 million cubic metres.
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