Balloons Brighten Neighborhood Mood; Grenade Find Evacuates Rhine Banks; Hard Hit Businesses Seek Rent Relief

News For 21 April 2020

A resident of Basel's Hardstrasse in the Gellert district decorated the outside of her home with 999 oversized, colorful balloons.  Eldrid Funck, a long time resident of the neighborhood was inspired to bring a little happiness into the lives of passers-by and spent two days, in addition to the cost of the balloons, to inflate them.  With the help of a neighbor, the balloons were arranged on the outside of the house, and it seems to have had the desired effect.  The house has become something of a landmark as local media has taken notice and reported on the effort.

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Friday night an unexploded military grenade was found on the Rhein near the Grenzacher crossing into Germany.  Workers using dredging equipment on the banks of the river when they uncovered the old grenade, causing a stoppage in work, and an evacuation of the buildings in the surrounding area.  Out of an abundance of caution, police instructed those leaving their homes to shutter their windows in case the grenade exploded.  Special units of the police believe the grenade was originally from World War I and managed to remove it safely by midnight on Friday.

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Though restaurants and other small business shopkeepers remain closed, their rents are still due.  A discussion between the Basel tenants association, the homeowners association Basel-Stadt, the Basel section of the Swiss Association of Real Estate Industry and the hosts association Basel-Stadt, is optimistic that a compromise can be reached to ease the burden of business owners.  The proposal which requires the approval and participation of Basel-Stadt, will divide the rent due into thirds, each share borne by the landlord, the tenant and Basel-Stadt during the months of April, May and June.  The Basel-Stadt Grand Council will consider the proposal in its session on Wednesday, this week.