D-list and independent policy in Grundarfjörður

D-list and independent policy in Grundarfjörður

Offensive on a solid footing

Candidates

1. Jósef Ó. Kjartansson

2. Ágústa Einarsdóttir

3. Bjarni Sigurbjörnsson

4. Sigurður Gísli Guðjónsson

5. Davíð Magnússon

6. Marta Magnúsdóttir

7. Patrycja Aleksandra Gawor

8. Unnur Þóra Sigurðardóttir

9. Arnar Kristjánsson

10. Ólöf Guðrún Guðmundsdóttir

11. Heimir Þór Ásgeirsson

12. Sunneva Gissurardóttir

13. Ásgeir Valdimarsson

14. Rósa Guðmundsdóttir

Offensive on a solid footing We, the people of the D-list, want to renew the mandate of the voters to continue our good deeds. We want to lead our community forward on solid foundation that we have been working on these last four years.

The co-operation in the town council has been successful and the idea came up to offer one common list for Grundarfjörður.

That is how we would be more able for the important task of leading our community in the unification of the communities in Snæfellsnes, that we believe will be one of the biggest projects of coming years. This idea did not happen, but the people of the D-list hope for continued good cooperation for the benefaction for us all.

We the people of D-list in the upcoming elections are going to strengthen further the position of the town. Life here in Grundarfjörður is good, nature is unique, and the opportunities are many. These resources are good to build on, along with all the good that the people of Grundfjörður stand for and are proud of. We will continue to work to strengthen our community and make Grundarfjörður even more desirable a place to live. Because it’s really good to live here!

We the people of D-list will continue to dodevelopment in the municipality. A pandemic has affected the society and all of us, but it is our belief that in the coming years Grundarfjörður will expand and prosper even further and that is a journey we want to lead. We have laid a good foundation with decisions and strengthening these recent years. It is important to strengthen even further the infrastructure of the community and make better use of the human resources, structures, and facilities available in the municipality. We continue to safeguard the interests of the townspeople outwardly: safeguard the necessary basic services and infrastructure, with the welfare of the townspeople in mind. We are going to take even more steps as a family-friendly community with an emphasis on public health for all and the active participation of the population. That is the vision of the D-list.

Education At Kindergaden Sólvéllir, elementary School Grunnskóli Grundar­ fjarðar and the music school Tónlistarskóli Grundar­fjörður there is a lot of thriving work, as the schools lay the foundation for our future, by educating and empowering our young people.

We support our schools well and want to strengthen cooperation between them even further. All the schools have great staff. The last few years have been challenging for school staff, specially all those who work with the youngest students, and we are clear the schools’ human resources need to be taken care of in the future.

We will continue the work that has been ongoing to increase the quality of preschool work, organization and efficiency and strengthen professional management.

A new Education Policy for Iceland until 2030 calls for us to reviewour school policy. We want to strengthen the quality work of the schools, internal assessment, and role of the school committee in the follow-up. That’s how we create a base for a strong school development.

We trust management and staff to implement ideology based on their premises and put a lot of effort professional retraining of employees.

We want the facilities in the schools, indoors and outdoors, aim to meet the needs of students of different ages. During this term there has been worked on the maintenance and improvement of school buildings and its environment. We have worked on long-term construction plans and thus prioritized class stages.

A working group on the kindergarten site submitted proposals

which are done in stages. Work has also begun on renovating and designing the school grounds of the primary school.

It is important to protect Fjölbrautaskóli Snæfellinga (FSN) but it’s operation and activities are the responsibility of the state. The school was founded on the initiative of locals, and it is valuable that young people can pursue postgraduate studies in their home areas and live in parental homes. We focus on that the oldest students the elementary school may continue to have the opportunity to study in FSN so that the gap between school levels is further reduced. We will do what we can to strengthen those connections and thus provide even stronger foundations for activities of the school.

It is important that the town authorities work to ensure that Icelandic trade schools and universities offer more distance learn­ing courses. We will continue to provide learning facilities for stu­dents learning from distance, such as done at Grundargata 30.

Sports and youth affairs We want to continue to belong in a health-promoting communities and thus contribute to a better quality of life for all of us. By hiring a Sports- and leisure representative we have taken a big step in that direction. That was done to increase the co-operation and support with sports clubs and social work in Grundarfjörður.

Good facilities for sports and leisure activities for all ages are important to us. Design of an extension, in front of the sports hall of Grundarfjörður, is now in the final stages and will improve the facilities and possibilities in the house.

During this term, we the people of the D-list will improve further facilities in our swimming pool. We are going to fulfill a long-awaited dream of the children (and no longer children!) in Grundarfjörður, by setting up a waterslide with a landing pool in the pool yard.

Part of that is to design the pool garden so that it is also contains sauna facilities.

We want to ensure adequate facilities for young people in Grundarfjörður, so they can attend social activities.

Many groups of children and young people have made their way to Grundarfjörður and stayed here over the weekend on a school or leisure trip. More often than not, people stay in the municipality’s housing. We want to further encourage such visits in collaboration with all those who offer entertainment, refreshments, and other relevant services in the area, as we know that our community is an extremely fun place to visit and creates a positive impression of Icelandic young people from Grundarfjörður in the future.

Issues of the elderly The people of the D-list want a community where senior residents can enjoy life on its own terms.

We want to continue to have a good collaboration with the nursing home Fellaskjól and support the selfless work that takes place there. Everyone should have easy access to the necessary services when the time comes. The goal is for people to be able to live at home for as long as possible.

It is necessary to take good care of the elderly in Grundarfjörður.

Part of their quality of life is to have access to a variety of entertainment on a convenient location. We want to continue to see health promotion for older citizens in the municipality and encourage that even more steps to be taken to increase their quality of life.

We want to support those who built up our community, with great dignity and energy.

Employment issues We want to support innovation and growth by facilitating a conversation with the innovation accelerator Klak Icelandic Startup, with the aim of creating more diverse employment opportunities in the municipality for entrepreneurs. We want to pave the way for new companies to start operations in the area. The D-list wants to welcome jobs without location and has the design of a collaborative space at Grundargata 30 take this into account. The D-list wants to complete the construction of the space in accordance with a proposal approved by the town council.

Increased employment opportunities do not come unless we seek them and that’s what we on the D-list emphasize.

We are pleased that Míla has taken the lead with the installation of fiber optic cables for households after constant encouragement by the town council throughout the whole election term. By the middle of the next election term (2024), Mila will have completed the installation of fiber optic cables in Grundarfjörður.

The harbor and the fishing industry The harbor facilities in Grundarfjörður are exemplary. The harbor is known for good facilities, service, beauty, and emphasis on security issues. The fishing industry has been the basis of society and it is our vision that this will continue. With the extension of Norðurgarður, it is possible to receive bigger ships than before, due to the difference of an added site about 5000 m2. Improved facilities will have a huge impact on services and opportunities for port-oriented activities, as well as tourism, and the project has already resulted in increased activity at the harbor.

It’s time for construction on the so-called “Hafnarbraut”, which connects the harbor areas even better, in addition to which it would lighten heavy traffic from the town’s streets. This project would be a collaborative project between Grundarfjarðarbær and Vegagerðin.

We will continue to support the forward-looking development of the harbor.

Tourism Kirkjufell has become one of the main symbols of Iceland.

Kirkjufellsfoss has established itself as one of the most soughtafter destinations in the country. Our harbor is also a fastgrowing port for cruise ships. We have set a policy in the master plan of the municipality on how we can use these resources and the world attention of Kirkjufell to build services and attract our visitors.

The town in collaboration with the landowners of Kirkjufell has worked on the development of this popular destination and this summer work will start on laying sidewalk to and by the waterfall. A walking and cycling path that connects the town to the urban area is a natural step in the future, but needs to be worked on in close collaboration with landowners and stakeholders.

Tourism is a growing industry in Grundarfjörður. We have a lot to offer and there are many opportunities for growth. Tourism promotes diversity in the community and increases the town’s attractiveness. Infrastructure development and services not only benefit tourists but also residents. Our collaboration in Snæfellsnes facilitates our development, for example with a common guest lounge and marketing.

We have worked to define a coastal path for pedestrians and cyclists, from the end of Norðurgarður, along Framnes and to Torfabót - a true experience path for locals and visitors, with a unique view of Kirkjufell, the beach, bird life and the fjord. We want to raise funds to make it a reality, in addition to building additional facilities in and around the harbor area, in connection with tourism.

Agriculture We are going to protect our rural areas. Existing agriculture needs to be nurtured. Live agriculture and food production in the countryside is what we all want to see.

Care must be taken to ensure that agriculture here can develop with technology and progress. It is necessary to be open to changes in which increased tourism could affect at the same time as we preserve the quality of the countryside.

Environment and outdoor activities Our environment is a great resource that must be utilized, respected, and preserved. Care must be taken to ensure that the utilization of the resources is sustainable and that the quality of nature is not compromised. We want to become even stronger in environmental issues and thus promote institutions, individuals, and companies to show social responsibility.

Nature and the environment of Grundarfjörður is a unique outdoor area and has a lot to offer.

The project in the Þríhyrning will bring back its important role, to be a fun family and recreational area, in addition to being an ideal outdoor learning area.

We will continue to nurture the open areas of the town, for example with increased vegetation and playground equipment. Then we are going to increase the number of benches along the town’s trails.

There has been a remarkable influx of skiers and there are ideas for improved facilities with the expansion of the ski area. We will do our best to help with that structure.

In the future, it would be nice to see bike paths around our town in accordance with the new master plan. A continuous cycle path around Snæfellsnes would be a great step forward for the whole area. The zoning plan for Snæfellsnes provides for the development of such travel routes. An exciting collaborative project is underway, which has already begun under the supervision of the Snæfellsnes Regional Park.

Marketing and cultural affairs In recent years, talented people, artists, NGOs and companies have brought wonderful cultural activities to the community.

Culture appears to us in all sorts of forms, large and small, and most of us need culture of some kind. In a broad collaboration, we intend to further support culture to increase the quality of life of the population. You need to follow simple but effective ways to further attract filmmakers and projects. Housing owned by the municipality may continue to be used for cultural events if Grundarfjarðarbær is not in active competition with others who can offer housing in the area. We are grateful for and proud of the selfless and important work of NGOs in Grundarfjörður and we want to work well with them.

We intend to welcome all new residents and we want to promote more frequent Icelandic language courses for all ages and

language instruction for children and young people of foreign origin.

Grundarfjörður is a family-friendly and open community.

Modern and progressive marketing of our society is essential for continued development and population growth. We want to support enterprising and imaginative residents.

Development has taken place in the History Center, which is already proving to be an important community and cultural center. The diverse social and cultural activities of the townspeople have their refuge there. Work to preserve Bæring’s images is important and has aroused the deserved satisfaction of residents and emigrants.

Planning and environmental issues During the past election period, we took the initiative to establish and build a new common area of environmental and planning issues with three other municipalities in Snæfellsnes. A planning officer, who is also the division manager, and a construction representative were hired, as well as assistants. Their area of responsibility also includes the operation of tool sheds and asset management for all municipalities.

With that change, a major step has been taken in strengthening the administration of planning and construction, the environmental work of the municipalities, the management of assets and projects and of course services to residents in the relevant areas.

During the past election period, work was completed on revising the Grundarfjarðarbær Municipal Plan. The plan is progressive, with a clear vision for the future of the development and strengthening of the settlement. Local planning work was carried out on new residential areas during the election period, and this work will continue. We also want to advertise and promote recreational areas close to Grundarfjörður that are planned for in the master plan. Furthermore, local planning work has begun in the port area and preparatory work for local planning in Framnes.

We intend to ensure that there is always a selection of plots for residential and commercial housing. At the same time, we intend to seek co-operation and encourage the construction of residential and commercial housing. We want to start by finding a suitable design for the downtown area of Grundarfjörður.

At the beginning of this election period, great emphasis was placed on improving the appearance of the town, which we have done. We embarked on extensive and timely improvements to streets, sidewalks, and paths. We will continue this work, as well as increase vegetation in the urban environment. Walkingfriendly Grundarfjörður is a synonym for these projects, which contribute to increased safety for the population, improved quality of life and public health, as well as great improvements to the appearance of the town.

Basic services Basic services provided by the state, such as health care, law enforcement and more, are very important to all of us, and nothing can be left behind. We will continue our fight for adequate GP services for the residents of Grundarfjörður, but that conversation has lasted throughout the election period.

Law enforcement must remain visible. We promise to continue strong advocacy for other basic services, such as transport, upper secondary schools, residential homes and much more.

Recently, the town council agreed to participate in the project “Ramps up Iceland” which aims to improve accessibility issues people with reduced mobility in and around public buildings and structures in the municipality.

Finance and administration We have shown responsibility and restraint in the municipality’s financial management. During the last election period, we have gone through a pandemic, but we are still on a strong footing and the operation has been deficit-free during this period.

development of settlements and the strengthening of services to the population.

We have the opportunity to increase the town’s income even further. We can do so with the continued development of the port of Grundarfjörður, and not to give a discount on the quality of its service. In the master plan, we have laid the foundation for income-increasing projects, which both concern the

In order to carry out the necessary development in the coming years, we will continue to pursue responsible financial management, without irrational debt.

We want to continue to use what is already there and thus support the services that are here.

Myndir eftir Tómas Frey Kristjánsson og Ágústu Einarsdóttur

We want to remind everyone that there is an election coffee on election day from 10-22 at the Story center and then

Don´t forget

to vote

the election vigil at Bjargarsteinn.

By-elections are held during the opening hours of Grundarfjörður City Hall, Borgarbraut 16.

Open weekdays from 10:00 to 14:00

Let’s seize the opportunity