The board informed Observant last January that it had imposed the end of March deadline on themselves in view of possible renovations and making a proper start at the beginning of the new academic year. However, a move during the summer doesn’t appear to be on the cards at the moment. “Our activities during the Inkom will go ahead as normal in our present accommodation,” KoKo board member Floor Otten (Bar, Building and Order commissioner) states. As a result, the club will have to move in the first months of the new academic year. With the help of members that should be possible, Otten expects.
Of course, a new place will have to be found by then. The search – in which the city authorities, UM’s Maastricht Housing, buyer’s agents, breweries and former members are also involved – has not yet yielded a lease agreement, but there are developments, says Otten. The board is involved in talks about a few potential locations, but does not want to say much about it at the moment. Furthermore, the option of a move for “one or two years” into temporary accommodation is still on the table, but for this there are no definite plans either. The board has not yet imposed a new deadline on themselves for finding a place –whether temporary or permanent.
Koko received notice of the present lease contract at the end of last year, after the city and companies signed a declaration of intent for the redevelopment of the Botermijn. The grounds are intended for student and starter homes, catering and work spaces. KoKo has been housed here in one of the former offices of the Botermijn since 2000, after they left the premises on the Hoogbrugstraat because of the growing number of members. At the moment, the association has more than 500 members.