The case in summary Brattås kindergarten in Færder closed suddenly, and 119 children are now without a kindergarten place. Owner and general manager, Trygve Bjarkø, claims he had no choice due to financial challenges and the municipality’s decision not to buy the building. Several parents are upset and believe they are being used as pawns in a political game. Færder municipal council will deal with the case, and municipal director Kristin J. Kirsebom expresses surprise at the short notice of closure. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Late on Tuesday evening, parents in Brattås kindergarten in Færder received an abrupt message: The private kindergarten would be closed the next morning. “I am very sorry for this decision, you have no choice as I have a duty to act as the economy is now and the municipality has decided not to buy the building, as the setting is.” Brattås kindergarten is now closed indefinitely. Photo: Guro Hatlo / news These were parts of the message from the owner and general manager, Trygve Bjarkø, on Tuesday evening. The background is, among other things, a claim for the compulsory sale of the nursery’s property, which has been dealt with in two courts. Defaulted loan of 54 million Already in May, Husbanken petitioned for a forced sale of the nursery, but this decision was appealed. The background was three defaulted loans totaling NOK 54,544,957, and that the nursery school should not have paid installments and interest on these since September 2023. In September, the Agder District Court also ordered a forced sale of the property. Tønsbergs Blad has discussed the case previously. – Airplanes cursed On Wednesday morning, news was present when several parents stopped by the nursery school on Nøtterøy to pick up belongings and equipment for their children. – I was completely cursed and thought that this cannot happen, says Tonje Rønning. Her son is among the children who now urgently need a nursery place. Tonje Rønning with her son Dag Atle, who started kindergarten two months ago. Photo: Guro Hatlo / news – It is unfair to both children, employees and all parents who have to take time off work because we were told ten hours before the kindergarten was due to reopen, she says. – Should have been notified much earlier Rønning believes the owner should have clarified the closure earlier. She says they have been told all along that the case was going to be resolved. – He should have known this much earlier, and we should have been told much earlier. Now we are being used as a pawn for the municipality to do something, she claims. Charlotte Asplin Takle has a 2.5-year-old son in kindergarten. Photo: Guro Hatlo / news Charlotte Asplin Takle, who has a two-and-a-half-year-old son in kindergarten, is blunt in her statements. – The action here does not correspond to what we have been told. We have been told to sit quietly in the boat, says Takle. Parents feel used When asked what she thinks about the wording in the message from the owner, she says: – I think it’s a sly way of getting his way, because it’s about money and what he wants to get for the nursery and what the municipality has been able to offer. Færder municipal council will consider the matter on Wednesday evening. Four alternatives are described for the kindergarten. Four alternatives for the municipality Færder municipality has outlined four alternatives according to the proposal: Buy Brattås kindergarten at the price suggested by the owner Purchase by forced sale An external party buys the kindergarten Secure places for all children through places elsewhere in the municipality In the proposal, the director of the municipality writes that the municipalities are interested in buying Brattås kindergarten, but at “a significantly lower price that does not entail increased operating costs for the municipality”. In the case papers it is stated that the municipalities have received an offer of 75 million for the purchase of property, buildings and fixtures. Including legal costs and the need for upgrading, they believe this gives a total investment cost of 82 million. “If the seller is willing to reduce his offer, this could change the conclusion in this case,” it says. Source: Færder municipality It is stated in the proposal that Færder will not buy the nursery at the present time. – 119 children are without a nursery place. And then he uses it as a means of pressure. I feel that I and my son and everyone else here have been used as a means of pressure against the municipality, says Takle. Dad in the nursery Chris Berg was also surprised by the sudden closure. – I think my own way. There is a bit of coercion against the municipality to try to find a solution, he says. Parent Hedvig Roll with children on her shoulders. Photo: Guro Hatlo / news Mother in the kindergarten Hedvig Roll is on her way home with her daughter to have a picnic in the garden and wait for grandma. – I think it is an unfortunate situation that we are being used in that situation. I’m really hoping for a forced sale, even though I know it can take quite a while, she says. Owner: – No other choice Owner Trygve Bjarkø does not agree with the claim that he uses parents and children as a means of pressure against the municipality. Trygve Bjarkø, owner and general manager of Brattåsen kindergarten. The picture was taken by news in a different context in June 2013. Bjarkø did not want to be photographed on Wednesday. Photo: Elin Martinsen / news – I don’t agree with that. I have no other choice but to exercise my duty to act, and I have exercised it. That is how the situation stands, he says. – The board considered the matter last week. They made no changes to the administration’s approach, he says and continues: – Then I have a duty to act. So after consulting with those I can consult with, I had to make a decision to close. Stopping losses for creditors On Wednesday afternoon, news asked Bjarkø to elaborate on what he means by the term duty to act. In an SMS he writes: “I have a duty to act to stop losses for creditors according to the Companies Act” Tonje Rønning and Dag Atle collect things from the nursery on Wednesday. Photo: Guro Hatlo / news Bjarkø says the decision came on Tuesday evening because the meeting with the union and shop stewards was only possible then. – What do you think about the fact that there are quite a few angry parents here? – I don’t feel that there are very many angry parents, so I don’t quite agree with you there, he says. – But I think that it is a terrible situation they are in now, and I am very sorry that they have come there, he adds. The municipality: Dramatic and desperate situation – It came as a surprise to us that there was such a short notice of the closure of the kindergarten, says municipal director Kristin J. Kirsebom. – The most important thing for us is to look at how we can get an offer for the children in the shortest possible time, she adds. Brattås Kindergarten in Færder closed on the day of 2 October. Photo: Guro Hatlo / news – What signals do you think the municipalities have given along the way when you have been aware of the financial problems? – We have been prepared for the possibility that we may end up in a situation where the nursery is declared bankrupt. That is the scenario we have been working from, says Kirsebom. Would like dialogue with owner Kristin J. Kirsebom, municipal director in Færder municipality Photo: Færder municipality – From our side, this is orderly, says Kirsebom when asked how the municipality perceives the allegations from parents about political games. When asked what she thinks about the owner saying he has no other choice, she replies. – I think that here the owner also has some obligations towards the parents, and there are some statutes linked to that. It is also the case that he has some obligations towards the municipality. The municipal director says they want to have a dialogue with the owner about this. On Thursday evening, the municipality has invited affected parents to an information meeting. Published 02.10.2024, at 14.57 Updated 02.10.2024, at 14.59
ttn-69
Brattås kindergarten closed overnight – 119 children are without a place – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
